Kurnool: In a rather shocking development to Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhilapriya, the ruling TDP on Thursday inducted her family's long-time political rival ex-MP Gangula Pratap Reddy into the party.

It was shocking to the young minister as the entire episode was conducted by the party high command without a hint to her leave alone taking her opinion or consent.

According to sources, the party president Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has offered the former MP either Allagadda or Nandyal seat in the general elections, which means either Akhilapriya will be kept aside or the party lost all hopes on the present by-election.

Pratap Reddy had tried to contest for Nandyal by-poll from YSRCP but the party has fielded Silpa Mohan Reddy as a better choice. He then initiated his bargain with the TDP but Akhilapriya was hellbent on selecting a candidate from her family members and finally Bhuma Bhramananda Reddy has been chosen for the seat.

With the ruling party's chances of winning the Nandyal by-election getting thinner and thinner as the Leader of Opposition and YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's campaigns are being received by voters with huge response, the TDP is believed to have played a political gimmick to distract people's attention. And the way Pratap Reddy was inducted into the party keeping Akhilapriya in complete dark also indicates what is in store for the Bhuma family in Chandrababu's future political game.

Pratap Reddy's brother Gangula Prabhakar Reddy is a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from YSRCP.