In the MLA quota MLC elections that happened in March this year, three MLAs crossvoted for the TDP candidate. TDP’s Panchumarthi Anuradha won as an MLC despite her party having no strength.
Anam Ramanarayana Reddy (Venkatagiri Assembly Constituency), Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy (Udayagiri Assembly Constituency), Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy (Nellore Rural Assembly Constituency) and Vundvalli Sridevi (Tadikonda Assembly Constituency) have cross-voted for the party.
YSR Congress had to suspend them from the party. Back then, the party tried to downplay the revolt saying that in YSR Congress, candidates do not matter.
“YSR Congress won 151 seats in 2019 elections. People did not vote for the candidates. They just voted for Fan symbol seeing Jagan Mohan Reddy. Jagan is the candidate in all the 175 seats. The same scenario will happen in 2024 as well. Candidates hardly matter. So, MLAs leaving the party does not matter,” they said with a brave face.
But then, everything changed in less than a year.
All of a sudden, we see Jagan Mohan Reddy changing party in-charges and speaking about caste equations.
Eleven in-charges were changed and there are reports that candidates in around 100 seats will be changed.
From the stage – ‘candidates do not matter, Jagan will bring votes’, YSR Congress has come to the stage where candidates have to be changed.
That itself is an indication of severe anti-incumbency against Jagan Mohan Reddy and the desperate measures the Chief Minister is taking to save face in 2024.
