Mekathoti Sucharitha, the first woman Home Minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh, is reportedly considering leaving the YSR Congress. Political circles are abuzz with speculation about her next move.
There is growing talk that Sucharitha is looking towards the Jana Sena Party. These rumours have gained momentum in recent weeks.
Belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, Sucharitha served as a minister for two and a half years during YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure. She was reportedly unhappy after being removed from the cabinet.
She also suffered defeat in the last elections following a constituency change. Among the many alterations made by Jagan ahead of the 2024 elections, Sucharitha is seen as one of the affected leaders.
She was shifted from Prathipadu to Tadikonda. In 2019, she had won convincingly from Prathipadu by defeating former minister D Manikya Vara Prasad of the Telugu Desam Party and former TDP minister Ravela Kishore Babu, who had joined Jana Sena Party.
Sucharitha believes her defeat was scripted by fielding her in an unfamiliar constituency. Since then, she has maintained distance from the party and is reportedly not receiving adequate support.
Local newspapers and media reports frequently suggest that she feels there is little benefit in continuing with YSRCP. A recent article in a prominent newspaper also hinted at her inclination towards Jana Sena.
Interestingly, TDP currently has sitting MLAs in both Prathipadu and Tadikonda. The party is unlikely to give up Tadikonda, as it falls under the Amaravati Capital Region, and Sucharitha herself is reportedly not keen on that seat.
She is said to be hoping for a Prathipadu ticket, citing the lack of strong TDP leadership there. It remains to be seen whether Sucharitha can secure a clear ticket assurance from Jana Sena in this context.
