Sujay Krishna to join TD?

Vijayawada: The defection saga continues in Andhra Pradesh with the legislators from the Opposition YSRCP switching over to the ruling Telugu Desam Party. This time, it is Venkata Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao from Bobbili in Vizianagaram district.

The TDP had almost cleared the route for Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao’s entry into the party. “Even party chief Chandrababu Naidu is willing to accept him into the party fold,” said a party source.

Sujay Krishna is likely to join the party in the next two or three days. If he joins, the number of defections from the YSRCP to the TDP would touch a dozen. Jyothula Nehru from East Godavari district was the eleventh one to join the party a couple of days ago.

Though Sujay Krishna has been dilly-dallying on defection due to his relationship with party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for over some time, he is learned to have made up his mind after Jyothula Nehru’s exit. It is also said that TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh convinced Sujay Krishna to join TDP.

Sujay Krishna, who was also in Congress, had political rivalry with Botcha Satyanarayana. After the bifurcation of AP, Sujay Krishna joined YSRCP and won on the party ticket from Bobili. He had strongly opposed the entry of Botcha into YSRCP.

In fact, it was speculated that Sujay would join TDP some time back but following counseling by YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, he postponed his decision.

He then denied that he was contemplating to join TDP. He even led the YSRCP delegation to the AP Assembly Speaker against defections. He submitted a letter demanding disqualification of those who had quit YSRCP. Sujay was also among the front-runners for the post of PAC chairmanship.

Another legislator from Srungavarapukota, Kolla Lalitha Kumari, is also likely to quit the YSRCP, according to the party sources. She may join the ruling TDP along with Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao.

The two legislators from Vizianagaram district are expected to quit the YSRCP and join the TDP on the same day. If the two legislators leave the party, the YSRCP would be left with just two legislators, Pamula Pushpa Sreevani from Kurupam and P Rajanna Dora from Saluru in the district.