Prakasam district has once been the stronghold of the YSR Congress. The lone opposition party seems to be in a deep trouble now going by the speed at which its legislators are deserting the party in the wake of “Operation Akarsh” by the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
It was the fledgling party that bagged a majority of six of the 12 Assembly seats in the last elections, leaving the TDP to be content with five seats, even as the former district Congress president Amanchi Krishnamohan retained his Chirala seat contesting as an independent. He eventually joined the ruling party.
Uneviable position
The YSRC is in an uneviable position, left with just two MLAs, as even its district president and Giddalur MLA M. Ashok Reddy defected to the TDP.
The trouble for the party, floated by the son of YSR, started when the TDP successfully won over its local body representatives to help its nominee Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy win the MLC election from Prakasam local body constituency hands down.
Maverick MLA from Yerragondapalem P. David Raju was the first to crossover to the TDP, which subsequently won over Gottipati Ravikumar from faction-ridden Addanki Assembly constituency, overlooking objections from senior TDP leader Karnam Balarama Krishnamurthy. In the same vein, the ruling party admitted Kandukur MLA Pothula Rama Rao despite resentment from TDP constituency in-charge Divi Sivaram.
Development agenda
Reacting to the swift political developments, Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao said: “They(YSRC MLAs) are coming on their own impressed with the development agenda of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. We will not say no to them.” TDP official spokesman Jupudi Prabhkar Rao, who was the first to quit the YSRC after unsuccessfully contesting the Assembly elections from Kondepi, said 15 MLAs, including a few from the district, were waiting in the wings to join the TDP.
Brave face
Crying foul, YSRC Whip in Parliament Y.V. Subba Reddy said those who were elected on the ‘B’ form issued by the YSRC should resign as MLAs before joining the ruling party. Putting a brave face, he said the party’s support base in the district was intact. “'We will certainly win comfortably as and when byelections are held,” he asserted giving a hint of the party's intentions to move the Supreme Court after summer vacation praying for disqualification of defected MLAs.
