Former Andhra Pradesh Minister Kondru Murali Mohan on Thursday joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other senior leaders.
The former Rajam MLA had served as the Health Minister between 2009 and 2014, after he was appointed during the tenure of late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He also worked with the two chief ministers that followed, including K Rosaiah and Kirankumar Reddy.
According to reports, Naidu and the state's Energy Minister, Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao, convinced Mohan to join the TDP.
Addressing the gathering, Kondru Murali said that people continued to distrust the Congress as it was responsible for the bifurcation of the state, which had left the people of Andhra Pradesh with a bad deal.
Murali, who had even served as a legislator from Etcherla in 2004, reportedly expected a senior post in the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), but was denied the same by the party’s high command, much to the disappointment of his followers.
The party instead chose to continue with present PCC President N Raghuveera Reddy. Murali had contested from Rajam in 2014, but failed to win a seat.
Though the ceremony was initially planned to be held on August 31, it had to be postponed after the death of actor-politician Nandamuri Harikrishna in a road accident.
Harikrishna, a former Rajya Sabha member and former Andhra Pradesh minister, died as the car he was driving overturned after hitting the median in Nalgonda district. He sustained critical head injuries and was rushed to Kamineni Hospital at Narketpally.
The 61-year-old actor-politician was the son of Telugu Desam Party's founder and former Chief Minister of unified Andhra Pradesh, late NT Rama Rao. He was also Chandrababu Naidu’s brother-in-law.
Polls to the Legislative Assembly in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to be held in 2019.