A few more leaders quit the Congress in the district on Tuesday while an MLA seems to have only delayed her decision to join the YSR Congress. One former MLA left the party and would join the YSRC while another former MLA is all set to quit the Congress.
Narsipatnam MLA Bolem Mutyala Papa met YSRC president Y.S. Jangamohan Reddy in Hyderabad but the announcement of her joining the party did not come out. According to information received here, Ms. Mutyala Papa had decided to delay the decision of joining YSRC till she received an assurance from Mr. Jagan that she would be the party’s candidate for chairpersonship of the Zilla Praja Parishad.
Ms. Mutyala Papa was expected to join the YSRC, along with MLA Tynala Vijayakumar one month ago at Srikakulam in the presence of Mr. Jagan but decided to wait as she was not promised the party ticket for Assembly elections. This time the wait is for confirmation about chairpersonship of the ZPP. Mr. Jagan is reportedly weighing different options for selecting party candidate for the post and a few aspirants have sounded him about their candidature before Ms. Mutyala Papa decided to go for ZPP post.
Former MLA of Bheemunipatnam Karri Sitaram on Tuesday quit the Congress and announced his decision to join YSRC. The way the State was bifurcated had hurt the feelings of his followers and party workers who wanted him to quit the party in spite of family’s long association with it, he told reporters.
He wanted to join YSRC during Mr. Jagan’s visit to the district on Wednesday but since it was postponed he would join the party during the YSRC leader’s tour of East Godavari district. Mr. Sitaram, elected MLA in 2004 after putting an end to the long run of Telugu Desam in Bheemli Assembly segment, was reportedly promised YSRC ticket for the elections.
Another former MLA of the Congress Kumbha Ravibabu, who was elected in 2004 from S. Kota segment, which is located in Vizianagaram district but falls under Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency, is all set to quit the party. Some sarpanches and other followers of the former MLA in Araku Valley Assembly segment, have quit the party and Dr. Ravibabu would take a decision on Wednesday. He is also expected to announce the party he would be joining. He was piqued over YSRC appointing former MLC Kidari Sarveswara Rao as the party’s coordinator for the Assembly segment, which means that he is the party candidate.
