With weeks to go for the elections, sitting Kurnool City MLA S.V. Mohan Reddy switched over from the TDP to the YSRCP on Thursday after holding a meeting with his supporters.
Mr. Reddy joined the YSRCP at party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Reddy expressed resentment at Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh over not being given a ticket for the forthcoming elections.
‘Betrayed by TDP’
“I was betrayed by the TDP which announced its candidate after much delay. The party scuttled my chances of contesting the next elections,” Mr. Reddy said.
At a public meeting in Kurnool last week, Mr. Naidu had announced that the party’s ticket for the Kurnool City Assembly seat would be being given to T.G. Bharath, son of Rajya Sabha MP T.G. Venkatesh. By then, the YSRCP had already announced Hafeez Khan as its MLA candidate from the segment.
Mr. Reddy alleged that the TDP was “selling its tickets” instead of giving it to deserving candidates. He added that the surveys had been tinkered with by the party in order to favour Mr. Bharath.
“I do not know why the surveys which were good enough 30 days ago are not good enough now,” Mr. Reddy said.
“Mr. Bharath has the power to spend crores of rupees for the ticket. I have not been given a ticket because I do not have such money,” he added.
Future plans
Talking about the role he would play in the YSRCP, he said that he has neither sought a ticket nor an important position in the party, and said that he would campaign for the party in areas where he enjoys support. He added that he would request the YSRCP chief to give him some responsibility after witnessing the work he has done in the elections.
Many supporters of Mr. Reddy vowed to ensure Mr. Bharath’s defeat in the upcoming elections.
Muslim supporters of Mr. Reddy, on the other hand, said that YSRCP MLA candidate Hafeez Khan winning the elections would be a boon for the minorities in the constituency and that they would support YSRCP candidate Mr Khan wholeheartedly.
