Amaravati, Sep 18 (IANS): In a big jolt to YSR Congress, senior leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy resigned from the party on Wednesday and announced his decision to join the Jana Sena Party.
He sent his resignation letter to the party President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, stating that he is resigning from the primary membership of the party. He, however, did not specify the reasons for his resignation.
Srinivasa Reddy, a relative of Jagan Mohan Reddy, only mentioned that he was satisfied with serving people by becoming a public representative five times and serving as minister twice. He wrote that politics and family relations are different.
He said despite being close to the YSR family, he opposed the wrong decisions of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The former minister was reportedly unhappy with the party leadership for not backing him when he filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India doubting the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines. Following his defeat in Ongole in recent Assembly elections, Srinivasa Reddy had demanded a thorough examination of EVMs and cross-checking of VVPAT slips.
Meanwhile, Srinivasa Reddy said he has decided to join the Jana Sena Party. He said he would meet Jana Sena President and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and join the party.
Last year, Srinivasa Reddy resigned as YSRCP coordinator for Chittoor, Nellore, and Tirupati, following differences with some leaders. He was unhappy after Jagan Mohan Reddy dropped him from the Cabinet in 2022 and was reported to be even planning to quit as MLA.
Srinivasa Reddy, who had served as a minister in the Cabinet of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, was miffed over Jagan Reddy dropping him while retaining many others who were junior to him. He was miffed over Jagan retaining Adimulapu Suresh, who also hails from the same district, in the Cabinet.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, however, had pacified him and appointed him the regional coordinator of the party. Several leaders have quit the YSRCP since the party lost power to the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP combine in June this year. Rajya Sabha MPs Mopidevi Venkataramana and Beeda Mastan Rao and a couple of MLCs are among the leaders who have quit.