The ruling Telugu Desam Party is said to be gradually losing grip over the Vijayawada politics.
Even Kamma leaders are said to be tilting towards the YSR Congress party, since they do not foresee any future for the party due to inept administration of TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
According to latest reports, prominent Kamma leader and former Vijayawada East MLA Yalamanchili Ravi, son of popular leader Yalamanchili Nageshwar Rao, has decided to quit the TDP and join the YSRC along with his followers.
Ravi shot into limelight by contesting the 2009 assembly elections on Praja Rajyam Party ticket and defeating prominent leader of Vijayawada Devineni Rajasekhar alias Nehru, albeit with a slender margin.
However, with PRP chief Chiranjeevi merging his party with the Congress, Ravi, too, followed him, but his rivalry with Devineni continued.
Said to be a close associate of senior leaders like Malladi Vishnu and Jogi Ramesh, Ravi was a strong opponent of the TDP.
When Naidu was taking out a padayatra in 2013, Ravi led a strong rally against the TDP president along with Vishnu, Ramesh and Vellampalli Srinivas and tried to stall his entry into Krishna district. He even faced the lathi-charge from the police.
However, with the Congress facing a backlash from the people due to bifurcation, Ravi had no option but to join the TDP before the general elections.
However, he has been staying away from the TDP party activities for the last few months, ever since his rival late Devineni Nehru along with his son Avinash joined the TDP.
Now, with all his friends including Jogi Ramesh and Malladi Vishnu in YSRC, Ravi also has decided to join the party.
He is likely to meet party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy soon to join the YSRC, say sources.
