Kakinada urban MLA quits Congress, joins Jagan camp

After oscillating between the Congress and the YSR Congress for about a year, Kakinada Urban MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy, a close aide of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, bade adieu to the ruling party on Sunday.
Kakinada urban MLA quits Congress, joins Jagan camp

On the eve of Sankranti, the Congress has received another body blow in the Andhra region. One of its MLAs from East Godavari district resigned from the party while another from Krishna district has dropped enough hints of following suit.

After oscillating between the Congress and the YSR Congress for about a year, Kakinada Urban MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy, a close aide of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, bade adieu to the ruling party on Sunday.

Just moments after resigning from his membership of the Congress, Reddy joined the YSRC in the presence of party central governing board member Jyothula Nehru in Kakinada. Reddy said he would take the YSRC party membership in Hyderabad on January 20 in the presence of party honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi.

Speaking to reporters in Kakinada, Reddy said he resigned from the Congress because the state government was harassing the YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s family just because Jagan floated a political party. “If the TDP moves a no-confidence motion against the government in the ensuing Assembly session, I am ready to extend my support to it. I am even ready to face disqualification,” he said and claimed that people were eagerly waiting for YSRCP’s rule for effective implementation of welfare schemes.

TWO MORE TO FOLLOW?: Chandrasekhara Reddy’s resignation has come as a no surprise to the Congress. After Jaganmohan Reddy had floated the YSRC, he, along with two other Congress MLAs from the district Nallamilli Sesha Reddy (Anaparthi) and Ponnada Satish Kumar (Mummidivaram), extended his support to the fledgling party. He even met Vijayamma at Tuni during her visit during the bypolls. But the three MLAs have stayed on in the Congress.

With Chandrasekhara Reddy’s resignation, the Congress has lost another MLA who belongs to the powerful Reddy community in the district.

Now all eyes are on Mummidivaram MLA Satish Kumar and Anaparthi MLA Sesha Reddy who had supported the YSRCP openly sometime ago. Their close aides say it is only a matter of time for the two legislators to jump on the Jagan bandwagon.

Interestingly, the sons of some Congress leaders in the district are  active in the YSRC. Animal husbandry minister Pinipe Viswaroop’s son Krishna’s case is a classic example.

JOGI RAMESH LAUDS YSR: On a day when Dwarampudi quit the Congress to join the YSRC, another legislator of the ruling party, Jogi Ramesh (Pedana in Krishna district), sang paeans to YS Rajasekhara Reddy. “I won the last election because of YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s charisma. I will contest the next election holding YSR’s photo in my hands,”  Ramesh told reporters, giving rise to speculation that he will also quit the Congress and join the YSRC.

Speaking in Hyderabad, government chief whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy described Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy as a traitor.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com