VIJAYAWADA: Prominent BC leader from Kaikaluru Assembly constituency Jaya Mangala Venkata Ramana has submitted his resignation to his MLC post and the YSR Congress Party primary membership.
According to the sources, he is set to join the Jana Sena Party in the presence of its president and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan soon. It is learnt from highly placed sources that former minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who left the YSRCP and joined the JSP recently, played a key role in Jaya Mangala’s decision, which was announced on Saturday.
The JSP may request Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to allot the MLC seat to nominate one of its leaders after Jaya Mangala’s resignation is accepted by the Legislative Council Chairman, and the seat falls vacant. Already three such resignations are pending with the Chairman. Jaya Mangala was elected to the Council from the Local Authorities Constituency in March 2023.
Several MLCs ready to leave YSRCP
It is also important to note that the ruling NDA has faced stiff opposition from YSRCP, which has a majority in the Council in its first sitting after the formation of the new government.
Due to the present political scenario in the State, a few members of the Council, who previously left the TDP and joined the YSRCP, are trying to impress their old leadership by resigning from the party to make way for their new appointments. It is learnt that almost 10 MLCs are ready to quit the YSRCP, and interested to join the JSP or the BJP, if the TDP doesn’t open doors to them as they all criticised CBN heavily while leaving the party.
While speaking to the media after submitting his resignation, Jaya Mangala Venkataramana said that YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy insulted him by not giving an appointment to speak on public issues, and told him to speak to Dhananjaya Reddy. “Though I am in the ruling party, and an MLC, I have no powers. Jagan made me a dummy leader. I could not do anything for my people with the post I have. That is the reason I am resigning from the post and the party. I have my people. I will join the party they want me to join. I have lost my value being in the YSRCP. Even the police are not listening to me as I am in the opposition party though I have my own reputation,” he said.
He started his political career with the TDP and he served as the ZPTC member, and became MLA in 2009.
He entered the poll fray in 2019 under TDP and was defeated by YSRC candidate Dulam Nageswara Rao in 2019.