TDP leader avoids queries on party's entry to Odisha

Berhampur: Union civil aviation minister and senior leader of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Ashok Gajapati Raju on Tuesday parried queries on the party's entry to southern Odisha. "Till now, we are a regional party and part of the NDA government," he said.
Raju said it is too early to predict if TDP would field candidates in southern Odisha in the next assembly and general elections.
For the last few months, there have been speculation about TDP fighting the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency, which has a sizeable Telugu population, to get a national party status. Berhampur has earlier elected some Telugu MPs, including former Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao, former Union minister R Jagannath Rao and Gopinath Gajapati.