Suspense continues for at least one more week over the fate of five YSR Congress party MPs who submitted their resignations from their Lok Sabha membership to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan last month.
The five YSRC MPs – Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy from Nellore, Y V Subba Reddy from Ongole, V Varaprasada Rao from Tirupati, P Mithun Reddy from Rajampet and Y Avinash Reddy from Kadapa – met Sumitra Mahajan at around 5 pm to have discussions with her on acceptance of their resignations.
The five MPs had put in their papers on April 6, the last day of the budget session of the Lok Sabha, in protest against the Central government’s denial of special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
The MPs asked the Speaker to accept their resignations at the earliest so that bypolls could be held in the state. They said they were firm on their resignations to highlight the issue of special category status to AP.
The Speaker, however, asked them to reconsider their decision. She told them to come to her between June 5 and 7 to explain their final stand.
“It appears to me that they resigned from their MP seats in an emotional manner in the wake of the strong sentiment prevailing in their state. I have to take into consideration all these circumstances before taking a final decision,” she told the media later.
She said there was no comparison between the acceptance of resignations of two BJP MPs in Karnataka and that of YSRC MPs.
“Both have been done in two different circumstances. If the YSRC MPs are still adamant on the acceptance of their resignations even after June 7, I would have no option but to accept the same,” she said.
May be, Sumitra Mahajan is of the view that even if she accepts the resignations, it should ensure that there would be no by-elections since the general elections are just less than a year away.
The MPs said it was for the Central government and Election Commission to take call to conduct the by-elections to the vacant seats.
“We are ready to face the elections whenever they are held,” Mekapati said in the past.
