Meet new TDP MPs: first-timers to veterans, political heirs to YSRCP turncoats, ex-officers to industrialists
With Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP emerging as a key player on the national stage, its 16 newly-elected LS MPs are set to play a crucial role in the new BJP-led NDA dispensation at the Centre
From left: TDP MP's Byreddy Shabari, G M Harish Balayogi and Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. (Express Photo)
The Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP swept the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, storming back to power in the state. Fighting these polls in alliance with the BJP and the Pawan Kalyan-led JanaSena Party (JSP), the TDP bagged 16 Lok Sabha seats out of the 17 it contested, emerging as a key player on the national stage. Here is a lowdown on all the newly-elected TDP MPs, who are set to play a crucial role in the new BJP-led NDA dispensation at the Centre.
Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has won for the third consecutive time from the Srikakulam constituency in north Andhra Pradesh, this time against Tilak Perada of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) with a margin of 3.2 lakh votes. The 36-year-old MBA is the national general secretary of the TDP and was its floor leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha.
His father, K Yerran Naidu, was a senior party leader and a former MLA and MP, who was a Union minister in the United Front government between 1996 and 1998. His uncle K Atchennaidu is the MLA from Tekkali besides being the TDP state unit president.
Kalisetti Appala Naidu
Appala Naidu was a surprise last minute pick by Chandrababu Naidu as the TDP’s candidate from the Vizianagaram seat. The 50-year-old leader has an LLB degree and is a former journalist who joined the TDP 25 years ago. He was elected to the Ponduru Agricultural Marketing Committee.
In 2004, he was made a member of the TDP’s Human Resource Development Wing and made in-charge of TDP’s North Andhra training institute for the TDP cadres in Vizianagaram. He imparted training to cadres on basic governance issues. This was his electoral debut, in which he won against Bellana Chandrashekar of the YSRCP by 2.4 lakh votes.
Sribharat Mathukumili
Sribharat Mathukumili, 35, is the president of the Visakhapatnam-based Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (deemed university) or GITAM. He won from the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, which marked his first electoral win. In 2019, he had lost to the YSRCP’s MVV Satyanarayana with a narrow margin. This time, he defeated Botcha Jhansi, wife of former minister Botcha Satyanaryana, by over five lakh votes. Sribharat is the is the son-in-law of Hindupur MLA and popular Telugu actor N Balakrishna.
From left: Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, Daggumalla Prasad Rao and Ambica Laskhminarayana. (Express Photos)
G M Harish Balayogi
Story continues below this ad
The 33-year-old TDP leader G M Harish Balayogi is the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker late GMC Balayogi. In the current polls, he tested his luck for the second time from the Amalapuram (SC) Lok Sabha seat. In 2019, he lost to the YSRCP’s candidate with a margin of 39,000 votes. This time, he defeated the YSRCP’s heavyweight R Varaprasad Rao by over 3 lakh votes.
Putta Mahesh Kumar
Elected for the first time from the Eluru constituency, Putta Mahesh Kumar, 36, is a businessman. He is the son of Sudhakar Yadav, TDP leader and MLA from Mydukur, who has served as the chairman of board of trustees of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Putta Mahesh won against Karumuri Sunil Kumar of the YSRCP by 1.8 lakh votes.
Kesineni Sivanath
Popularly known as Kesineni Chinni, Kesineni Sivanath is the brother of Kesinani Srinivas, former two-time TDP MP from the same Vijayawada constituency that he bagged now. Srinivas, popularly known as Nani, had quit the TDP over differences with Chandrababu Naidu and joined the YSRCP which fielded him in the current polls. However, making his debut on the TDP ticket, Sivanath trounced his brother Srinivas by 2.8 lakh votes.
From left: Baspati Nagaraju, BK Parthasarathi and Krishna Prasad Tenneti. (Express Photo)
Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
Story continues below this ad
The 48-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, is one of the richest contestants, with his family owning total assets worth over Rs 5,785 crore. After completing his MBBS from Dr NTR University of Health Sciences in 1999, Dr Chandra Shekar went to do an MD in Internal Medicine from the Geisinger Medical Centre, Pennsylvania, USA in 2005.
Hailing from Burripalem village of Tenali his family have been supporters of the TDP for a long time. Contesting from the crucial Guntur seat, he won against Kilari Vekata Rosaiah of the YSRCP by 3.4 lakh votes.
Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu
Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu was first elected from the Narasaraopet seat on the YSRCP ticket in 2019. However, he later fell out with the YSRCP leadership. Ahead of the 2024 elections, he switched to the TDP. He won for the second time from the seat now by defeating the YSRCP’s Anil Kumar Poluboina by 1.5 lakh votes.
His constituency had seen post-poll violence, with the YSRCP leaders accusing him of taking favours from the police on the poll day. He has denied all charges and accused the YSRCP of false propaganda.
Story continues below this ad
From left: Magunta Sreenivasalu Reddy, Lavu Krishya Devarayalu and Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani. (Express Photos)
Tenneti Krishna Prasad
The TDP’s winning candidate from the Bapatla (SC) constituency, Tenneti Krishna Prasad is former IPS officer and Telangana Director General of Police (DGP). He joined the BJP last July but the TDP gave him the ticket for this poll debut. He defeated Nandigam Suresh Babu of the YSRCP with a margin of 2.08 lakh votes.
Prasad previously served as the chairperson of the Telangana Road Safety Authority and the Additional Director General of Railways and Road Safety. He runs an NGO called the Krishna Prasad Foundation. It worked to mobilise medical equipment at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, working with the American India Foundation to procure and donate critical medical equipment to hospitals. It also donated oxygen ventilators and concentrators, and monitors to medical facilities.
Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy
The four-time MP from Ongole, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, had been with the YSRCP but quit the party after his son Raghava Reddy got embroiled in the Delhi excise policy case. He then joined the TDP.
Story continues below this ad
Raghava Reddy turned approver in the Delhi excise policy case after which Srinivasulu was given the ticket by the TDP. The Magunta family owns Balaji Distilleries and two other companies, and has been in the liquor business for over seven decades. He won against Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy of the YSRCP by 50,199 votes.
Dr Byreddy Shabari
Dr Byreddy Shabari has been elected from the Nandyal seat as a TDP candidate for the first time. However, her father Rajashekara Reddy had quit the TDP to found the Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi in order to fight for a separate Rayalaseema state.
The granddaughter of Seshasayana Reddy, who was a three-time MLA and also served as an MLC, Byreddy Shabari is the only woman MP of the TDP now. She defeated Pocha Brahmananda Reddy of the YSRCP by 1.1 lakh votes.
From left: Kalisetty Appalanaidu, Kesineni Sivanth, Putta Mahesh Kumar and Sribharat Mathukumilli. (Express Photo)
Ambika Lakshminarayana Valmiki
Story continues below this ad
Ambika Lakshminarayana Valmiki is a local TDP leader in Anantapur district and has been elected on its ticket from the Anantapur parliamentary seat for the first time, beating Malagundla Sankar Narayana of the YSRCP by 1.8 lakh votes.
Bastipati Nagaraju Panchalingala
Another first-time winner, Bastipati Nagaraju Panchalingala trounced B Y Ramaiah of the YSRCP in the Kurnool seat by 1.1 lakh votes. He once worked as a government college lecturer before entering politics in 2021, joining the BJP. He later joined the TDP fold.
B K Parthasarathi
The 64-year-old B K Parthasarathi is a two-time TDP MLA from Penukonda and a veteran TDP leader, who got the party ticket from the Hindupur seat despite the ally BJP’s bid to claim the seat. The TTD board member went on to beat J Shantha of the YSRCP by 1.3 lakh votes.
Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy is the founder of the VPR Mining Infra Pvt Ltd. He had joined the YSRCP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March 2018. He quit the YSRCP ahead of the 2024 elections after sensing that he would not get the Lok Sabha ticket. He then crossed over to the TDP, which fielded him the Nellore seat, where he defeated senior YSRCP leader Vijaysai Reddy by 2.4 lakh votes.
Daggumalla Prasada Rao
Daggumalla Prasada Rao is a director of Radhey Constructions Pvt. Ltd. He is a former IRS officer.
Yet another first-time winner, Rao defeated the YSRCP’s N Reddeppa by 2.2 lakh votes in the Chittoor (SC)constituency.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
