Ponnapureddy is YSRCP nominee for local body polls

Kadapa (YSR district): The YSR Congress party has declared party regional coordinator for Kurnool, Nandyala and YSR districts and former Jammalamadugu MLA Ponnapureddy Rama Subba Reddy as its candidate for local body elections. An engineering graduate hails from Gundla Kunta village in Jammalamadugu mandal, Rama Subba Reddy was elected as sarpanch from his native village in 1989.

He participated in active politics after the death of his paternal uncle Ponnapureddy Siva Reddy (TDP) in 1994. He represented for Jammalamadugu Assembly Segment as MLA behalf of TDP twice in 1994, 1999 and worked as Forest Minister in NTR Cabinet while Housing Minister in Chandrababu Cabinet. He was defeated in 2004, 2009, 2014 polls in the hands Congress party nominee C Adinarayana Reddy while YSRCP candidate M Sudheer Reddy in 2019 elections.

In the meantime, he was elected as MLC under the Governor's quota on behalf of TDP in 2016 and worked as Chief Whip during Chandrababu Naidu regime. After losing the election in 2019 under TDP banner, Ponnala quit the party and joined YSRCP for various reasons. Following differences cropped up with Jammalamadugu MLA M Sudheer Reddy, Ponnapureddy himself stayed away from party activities. As part of damage control measures, party high command has declared Ponnapureddy as MLC candidate under local body elections.