Tirupati: With the Telugu Desam-Jana Sena-BJP coalition taking control of Andhra Pradesh after the elections, vigorous efforts are under way to secure the coveted chairman post of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Trust Board.
The TTD oversees the functioning of the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala and numerous other shrines across the country. The chairman post, a political appointment, carries privileges equal to a state cabinet minister.
The trust board consists of bureaucrats and political appointees who coordinate temple activities. Its functioning is akin to a miniature government.
The chairman coordinates mattes with trustees, priests and officials to oversee the temple affairs and this also occasions his interactions with judges, central ministers, top politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders, and celebrities during their visit to the hill shrine.
Becoming a TTD board member is prestigious too. This entails direct access to the temple and influence over the board activities.
Traditionally, the ruling party appoints the TTD chairman. The outgoing chairman, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, was nominated by the YSRC government. He having resigned, the new coalition government will name his replacement. Several names from the alliance partners are being speculated.
From the Telugu Desam party, SVSN Varma, a leader from Pithapuram who worked for Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s victory, is seen as a frontrunner. An earlier hint was that Pawan Kalyan’s brother Naga Babu might step in, but this was quickly denied.
From the BJP, former state chief Somu Veerraju, spokesperson P Bhanuprakash Reddy who stepped aside for the Jana Sena in Tirupati, and Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, husband of current BJP chief D Purandeswari, are said to be seeking this post.
Film producer Ashwini Dutt, considered close to Chandrababu Naidu, has also expressed his interest. His previous criticism of alleged irregularities in TTD affairs is seen to bolster his candidacy. With multiple aspirants, lobbying is expected to intensify in the coming days.
