Vijayawada: Former YSRCP MLC Iqbal joins TDP

Vijayawada : Former YSRCP MLC Shaikh Mohammed Iqbal joined the TDP on Wednesday in the presence of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. The TDP chief welcomed Iqbal into the party. Last week, the retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer resigned from primary membership of the YSRCP as he was not happy in the party.

He also resigned as a member of the Legislative Council. His term was to end in March 2027. The former inspector-general of Rayalaseema Range joined YSRCP in 2018. He contested unsuccessfully as a YSRCP candidate against actor and TDP leader Balakrishna in the Hindupur constituency. After the YSRCP came to power in 2019, Iqbal was made MLC. He was reportedly unhappy over the YSRCP’s choice of Tippegowda Narayan Deepika as the party candidate from Hindupur.

Hailing from Kurnool district, Iqbal held several key positions in the police department in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He had served as the chief security officer to Chandrababu Naidu in his first term as Chief Minister between 1995 and 2000. After retirement in 2018, he joined the YSRCP.