As expected, YSR Congress party’s Lok Sabha member from Ongole parliamentary constituency Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy on Wednesday quit the party and is all set to join the Telugu Desam Party sooner or later.
Magunta said he had to take the decision as he cannot continue in the party where he has no respect.
“Magunta family is a brand in the entire Prakasam district and it gives a lot of importance to self-respect than anything else. There is no point in continuing in the party compromising on my self-respect,” he said.
He said his decision to leave the party stemmed from unforeseen circumstances, while expressing gratitude to his supporters and fellow leaders within the constituency.
Magunta also extended his appreciation to the party’s chief, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, for the support rendered during his five-year tenure.
He declared that his son Magunta Raghava Reddy will contest the elections from Ongole parliamentary constituency this time.
At the same time, there are reports that YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has finalised the candidacy of Aurobindo group director P Sharath Chandra Reddy as the party candidate for the Nellore seat, in place of Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, who quit his MP seat and is all set to join the TDP in a day or two.
Sharath Chandra Reddy, who happens to be the brother of YSRCP general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy's son-in-law P Rohit Reddy, has been in the news for the last 10 days as a probable candidate for the Nellore seat, but sources close to him have denied the reports.
Even Sai Reddy openly refuted the speculations about Sarath Chandra Reddy being the party candidate for Nellore. He made it clear that the Aurobindo family is completely into business and has no interest whatsoever in politics.
But sources said Jagan has brought pressure on Sai Reddy to convince Sarath Chandra Reddy to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Nellore. With pressure mounting on him, Sarath has accepted the offer, sources said.
If Sarath’s ticket is finalised, then it amounts to two of the major accused in Delhi liquor scam contesting the Lok Sabha elections from adjacent constituencies – Nellore and Ongole.
While Sarath Reddy will be contesting from the YSRCP, his business colleague Raghava Reddy will fight the polls on behalf of the TDP!
