It’s poll season and guess what. Leaders are switching loyalties at the drop of a hat. If the exodus of leaders to the Telugu Desam Party just before elections in 2014 was an interesting phenomenon then, it is a flood of people from other parties joining the YSR Congress Party.
Among the prominent leaders who have switched loyalties to the YSRCP this time include Butta Renuka (TDP MP, Kunool), Avanti Srinivas (MP, Anakapalli), P. Ravindra Babu (TDP MP, Amalapuram), David Raju (MLA, Yerragondapalem), Magunta Srinivasanu Reddy (TDP MLC), Amanchi Krishnamohan (TDP MLA), Adala Prabhakar Reddy (former TDP Minister) and Dasari Jaya Ramesh (Vijayawada).
In Guntur, Naseer Ahmed (YSRCP) left the party to join the TDP and was rewarded with a ticket to contest from Guntur East Assembly segment. The former minister Mohammad Jani, Kandru Kamala, former MLA Makkena Mallikarjuna Rao, ZP chairperson Shaik Jonymoon left the TDP and joined the YSRCP.
"Overall, 1,383 leaders have joined the YSRCP over the last 10 days. These include 71 leaders at the Assembly Constituency level, 363 at Mandal level, and 949 at the village level. The Mandal and Village level leaders at the grass-roots are considered to be local opinion makers, and these joining could have an impact in shifting the opinion further in favour of the YSRCP," said a senior YSRCP leader.
