VIJAYAWADA: Former minister Silpa Mohan Reddy has finally deserted the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and defected to the YSR Congress (YSRC). He and a large band of his followers formalized the defection at the residence of YSRC chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The defection to YSRC was on the cards ever since TDP president Chandrababu Naidu began dragging his feet over fielding Silpa Mohan Reddy as the TDP candidate for the Nandyal Assembly byelection. The byelection has been caused by the death of incumbent Bhuma Nagireddy.
Mohan Reddy contested the Nandyal Assembly seat in 2014 on a TDP ticket but lost to Bhuma Nagireddy who was then a YSRC candidate. After his election, Nagireddy joined the TDP much to the chagrin of Mohan Reddy.
Both Mohan Reddy and Nagireddy continued in the TDP though it was inconvenient for the former. But the death of Nagireddy changed the scene altogether.
With the Nandyal seat vacant, Mohan Reddy wanted to contest the bypoll. His demand became more insistent after Chandrababu Naidu took Nagireddy's daughter and Allagaddda MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya into the cabinet.
But Akhila Priya put her foot down on any move to field Mohan Reddy for the seat since not only does her family faction not see eye to eye with Mohan Reddy but also Akhila wanted someone from the Bhuma family to be fielded.
Given the stalemate in the TDP, Silpa Mohan Reddy decided to walk over to the YSRC. His defection triggered jubilant celebrations by his supporters who replaced the TDP flag atop his house with a YSRC flag.
