Nara Lokesh, the Andhra IT Minister, alleged that his counterpart, TRS working president KT Ramarao (KTR), called the former’s party MLAs and told them not to contest for Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Telangana Desam Party (TDP). Nara Lokesh, spoke to TNM while campaigning in Mangalagiri constituency, where he is making his electoral debut.

While ruling out the allegations of a secret alliance with Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena, Nara Lokesh claimed that YSRCP is being funded by K Chandrashekhar Rao's TRS party for poll campaigns and that TDP MLAs were getting calls from KTR.

“The TRS is sending prachara rathas (campaign vehicles) to Andhra Pradesh. While the exterior of the vehicle is different, the seats are conspicuously pink and bear the TRS party symbol. We have proof of this. KTR himself called 10 of our MLAs, including Vallabhaneni Vamshi and BC Janardhan Reddy, and asked them not to contest for us. He asked them to contest for YSRCP instead,” Nara Lokesh alleged.

Nara Lokesh also responds to the recent criticism by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he urged people to vote for 'sunrise’ to ensure ‘son set’ in the state, alleging that Chandrababu Naidu is promoting his son's political career.  “It’s unfortunate that the Prime Minister takes potshots at a young, aspiring politician and a junior most cabinet minister of a state,” Nara Lokesh says.