KADAPA: Puthalapattu sitting MLA joins Congress

KADAPA : ANOTHER sitting MLA ruling party YSRCP joined the Congress on Saturday. M S Babu, the YSRCP MLA from Puthalapattu constituency, joined the Congress during the ongo­ing bus yatra of state Con­gress chief YS Sharmila Reddy. She welcomed him into Congress by offering the party scarf.

Babu was elected from Puthalapattu Assembly constituency in Chittoor Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 on YSRCP ticket. He was denied renomination for next month's polls.

He is the third sitting MLA of YSRCP to join Congress. On March 24, Unnamatla Eliza, the YS­ RCP MLA from Chin­talapudi, had joined the Congress. Eliza was unhappy with YSRCP leadership after he was denied a ticket for the forthcoming polls.

The YSR Congress has named Kambham Vijaya Raju as its candidate from Chintalapudi constituency in Eluru district.

On March 19, Toguru Arthur had joined the Congress party. He rep­ resents Nandikotkuru constituency in Kurnool district. Arthur, who had worked as chief marshal in the Legislative Assem­bly of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh , won the 2019 assembly election on YSRCP ticket.

The Congress has given tickets to both Arthur and Eliza from their respective constituencies. The grand old party on April 2 announced can­didates for 114 Assembly and five Lok Sabha seats.

Simultaneous elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to be held on May 13.