In a big jolt to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), senior leader Dadi Veerabhadra Rao resigned from the party on January 2 (Tuesday).
Mr. Veerabhadra Rao wrote a letter to this effect to party president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Mr. Veerabadhra Rao wields a strong influence in the North Andhra region, particularly in Anakapalli district. He was elected as MLA on the TDP ticket for four terms in 1985, 1989, 1994 and 1999.
He had quit the TDP in 2013 and joined the YSRCP hoping to get the party ticket in the 2014 elections, but was denied the same. He had resigned from the party in 2015 and remained inactive in politics for about four years.
Mr. Veerabadhra Rao had returned to the YSRCP before the 2019 elections hoping to get the party ticket from Anakapalli. He was not only denied the party ticket but was also not given any prominent position in the party.
“I am disillusioned with the style of functioning of the party leaders such as V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, Y.V. Subba Reddy and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy. It is an unpleasant experience in the YSRCP,” Mr. Veerabhadra Rao told The Hindu.
“TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has invited me to the join the party. I am going to meet him in Vijayawada tomorrow (Wednesday) along with my son Ratnakar and followers,” he added.