Former Andhra Pradesh minister and Kapu strongman Mudragada Padmanabham is likely to join the ruling YSR Congress party and contest the next Lok Sabha elections from Kakinada if the ongoing developments in the state are any indication.
Mudragada, who already had a preliminary round of talks with YSR Congress party MP and in-charge of Godavari districts, P Mithun Reddy, a few days ago, held another round of talks with YSRC MP from Kakinada, Vanga Geetha, and other senior YSRC leaders at his residence in Kirlampudi on Friday.
The YSRC leaders, who brought a message from party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, informed Mudragada that the party would offer him a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections from the Kakinada parliamentary constituency.
If Mudragada is not willing to contest the elections, the ticket would be given to his son.
"If both the father and son are not keen on contesting the Lok Sabha elections, one of them would be given the party ticket in the assembly elections," sources said.
It is learned that Mudragada is happy with the offer and reportedly informed the YSRC leaders that he would discuss the matter with his family members before making a decision on whether to contest for an MP or MLA seat.
It may be mentioned that Mudragada has been in touch with the YSRC leaders for quite some time. He recently made a statement that he would announce his future course of action in politics very soon.
Apparently, Jagan believes that the best way to counter the growing influence of the Jana Sena Party, which is gaining strength in the Godavari districts due to the Kapu factor, is to bring a prominent Kapu leader like Mudragada into the party.
"Apart from his own seat, Mudragada is capable of influencing the Kapus in the entire Godavari belt in Andhra. He has more credibility in fighting for the Kapu cause compared to Pawan Kalyan. So, it would definitely tilt the scale in favor of YSRC in the next elections," sources added.
