Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Veteran Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Union Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju has formally resigned from the party ahead of assuming charge as the Governor of Goa. In a letter addressed to TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and state president Palla Srinivas Rao, Ashok Gajapathi Raju tendered his resignation from the party’s primary membership, Politburo, and lifelong association, bringing an end to a four-decade-long active role in the party.

Raju expressed deep gratitude to the TDP leadership for the opportunity to serve the party since its inception under the late N.T. Rama Rao. He acknowledged that he was given numerous roles and responsibilities within the party and conveyed special thanks to both Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP for their long-standing support.

"With the honour bestowed upon me by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu through the appointment as Governor of Goa, it is now time to step away from active politics," he stated.

Ashok Gajapathi Raju, hailing from the royal family of Vizianagaram, entered politics following in the footsteps of his father P.V.G. Raju, a respected parliamentarian. He first contested the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 1978 as a Janata Party candidate. After the formation of the Telugu Desam Party in 1982, he joined the party and became one of its most senior and trusted leaders.

He served as an MLA for seven terms from Vizianagaram Assembly constituency, winning elections in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2009. Although he faced defeat in 2004, he made a strong comeback in 2009. In the undivided Andhra Pradesh, he also served as a state minister holding key portfolios.

In 2014, Raju was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vizianagaram and went on to serve as Union Minister for Civil Aviation in the NDA government. He remained in the post until the TDP exited the alliance with the BJP in 2018. In the 2019 general elections, he narrowly lost the parliamentary seat, while his daughter Aditi Gajapathi Raju, who contested from the Vizianagaram Assembly seat, was also defeated. However, in a significant comeback for the family, Aditi Gajapathi Raju won the Vizianagaram Assembly seat in the 2024 elections.

With his appointment as Goa Governor, Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s exit marks the end of an illustrious chapter in TDP’s history. His resignation reflects a tradition of constitutional propriety, as governors are expected to maintain a non-partisan stance.