Telangana poll effect in AP YSRCP to change 30% MLAs

Vijayawada: With speculation rife that the notification for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections would be made in February and polls would be held towards the end of March or early April, political activity in the ruling party has been put on top gear.

For the past six days, the YSRCP leadership has been calling MLAs and hinting regarding who may be dropped in the next elections based on survey reports.

According to sources, about 30 percent of MLAs are likely to be changed. The possibility of changing at least two to three MLAs in each district is imminent. Keeping in view the damage BRS party suffered for not changing MLAs against whom there was unhappiness in the constituency, the YSRCP felt that it should make a quick assessment of who should be dropped. The party has already started the exercise to call such MLAs and convince them. Party president Jagan Mohan Reddy has been hinting for some time that some MLAs would have to be dropped but they need not get disappointed as the party would take care of them.

Jagan is of the view that the government had so far transferred Rs 5 lakh crore to beneficiaries and hence they would stand by the ruling party. That is why he has come up with the slogan, “Why not 175 and why not defeat TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu in Kuppam.”

Against the backdrop of this development, the sudden resignation of YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy from Mangalagiri in Guntur district and T Devan Reddy, son of Gajuwaka MLC Tippalanagariddy assumes importance. Ramakrishna Reddy has been active in politics since 1995. Twice he tried for a ticket from Sattenaplli and Peddakurapadu in 2004 and 2009 respectively during the period of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy but faced disappointment. Later he joined YSRCP and contested from Mangalagiri. He trounced TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh in 2019. T Devan Reddy resigned from Gajuwaka as the party has now decided to give ticket to a candidate from Yadava community.

Ramakrishna Reddy said he would soon reveal the reasons for resignation. Some of his followers also resigned from the party on Monday. It may be mentioned here that Jagan had promised to make him Minister, if he wins over Nara Lokesh during 2019 elections but the promise was not fulfilled. Now the party has changed 11 in-charges late on Monday evening indicating who all would be dropped or shifted to other constituencies.

Minister Vidadala Rajani has been appointed as party in-charge of Guntur West.

She is now representing Chilkaluritpeta. Similarly, Mekatota Sucharita-(SC) will now be in-charge of Tatikonda instead of Prattipadu. Balasani Kirankumar for Pattipadu (SC) will be the new in-charge of Prattipadu.

From Chilkaluripeta, Rajesh Naidu from Kapu community will be the in-charge. Among other incharges are: Adimulapu Suresh-Kondepi (SC), Ashok Babu-Vemuru (SC Merugu Nagarjuna- Santanutalapadu (SC), Panem Animireddy- Addanki, Ganji Chiranjeevi from weavers community- Mangalagiri, Evuru Ganesh from weaker sections and Varikuti Ramachandra Rao from Yadava community - Gajuwaka.