As many as 10 leaders of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), including former home minister Nimmakayala Chinnarajappa, suffered minor injuries after the stage put up for a public meeting collapsed, a party spokesperson said on Saturday.
The incident occurred late on Friday night, TDP spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi said, adding the leaders were participating in the party's Bhavishyattuku Guarantee (Guarantee to the future) programme at Battulavarigudem village in Eluru district.
"Accidentally, it (stage) collapsed. There were minor injuries to former home minister Chinnarajappa and also to our ex-MP from Eluru, Maganti Babu and bruises to Chintamaneni Prabakar," Pattabhi told PTI.
However, he noted that all were minor injuries and blamed the collapse on the wet soil on which the stage was pitched and also the strong winds.