# Anna Telugu Desam Party

The Anna Telugu Desam Party (ATDP) was a regional political party in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was founded by Nandamuri Harikrishna, the third son of the film star and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 26 January 1999. The party was formed following internal differences within the TDP but struggled to make a electoral impact. Harikrishna eventually returned to the TDP in 2006, and ATDP was delisted by the Election Commission of India in 2016.

## History

Nandamuri Harikrishna established the Anna Telugu Desam Party (ATDP) on 26 January 1999 after a fallout with TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu. Harikrishna had previously sided with Naidu along with the majority of TDP legislators, during the 1995 internal coup within the TDP, which led to his father NTR’s removal as party leader, triggered by dissatisfaction with the involvement of NTR’s second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi in party and state affairs. Following the coup, Harikrishna was appointed as the Minister ot Transport in the Andhra Pradesh state government. However, dissatisfaction with Naidu’s leadership led him to part ways and establish ATDP.
Shortly after its formation, Rajya Sabha MP Daggubati Venkateswara Rao left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join ATDP on 28 January 1999. Another Rajya Sabha MP, Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, also joined the party, giving the party two seats in the upper house of the Parliament of India. Additionally, S. Madhusudhana Chary, who had earlier been a member of the NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi) (NTRTDP-LP), represented ATDP in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
In the lead-up to the 1999 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, ATDP formed an alliance with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), both of which had been former allies of the TDP. However, internal disagreements over ATDP’s stance on banning foreign-born individuals, including Sonia Gandhi, from holding the Prime Minister’s position created a rift within the alliance.
ATDP fielded 191 candidates in the 1999 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election but failed to win any seats, securing only 371,718 votes (1.12% of the total votes in the state). In the same year’s Lok Sabha elections, the party contested 20 constituencies but again failed to secure any seats, receiving just 244,045 votes (0.73% of the total votes in the state).
The party’s failure to make an electoral impact led to its decline. By 2006, Harikrishna returned to the TDP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a TDP member in 2008. Over the years, ATDP’s relevance diminished, and in 2016, the party was officially delisted by the Election Commission of India.

## Electoral performance

Lok Sabha elections :
| Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
| 1999 | 13th | Nandamuri Harikrishna | 20 | 0 / 543 | new | 0.73 | new | 244,045 | Lost |
Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections :
| Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
| 1999 | 11th | Nandamuri Harikrishna | 191 | 0 / 294 | new | 1.12 | new | 371,718 | Lost |