Ruling YSR Congress leader from Gannavaram Assembly constituency in Krishna district Yarlagadda Venkatrao, is said to be planning to jump to the opposition TDP for the 2024 elections.
As TDP MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi had defected to the YSR Congress and is going to be the party candidate in the next election, Venkatrao finds no scope for him to contest.
Venkatrao lost the seat to Vamsi in 2019 by a margin of just 990 votes. He contested as YSR Congress candidate and secured 1,02,714 votes, while TDP nominee Vamsi secured 1,03,704 votes.
When Vamsi joined the YSR Congress, Venkatrao protested over his admission. It was then chief minister Jagan nominated him as the chairman of the KDCC Bank.
However, it is said that he is not happy with the YSR Congress giving priority to Vamsi in the constituency.
Vamsi is a strong candidate for the Gannavaram constituency as he won the seat twice – in 2014 and 2019.
Vamsi also unsuccessfully contested the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 against Lagadapati Rajagopal and lost the seat by a little over 12,000 votes.
Considering the track record and the winning chances, it is likely that Jagan Mohan Reddy would prefer Vamsi to Venkatrao in the 2024 elections.
Given this situation, Venkatrao is in touch with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and likely to shift to the party at any time.
However, he wants Jagan to expel him and for which he declared his candidature. In fact, it was for the same reason that Jagna had expelled former minister Kothapalli Subbarayudu last week.
Sources close to Venkatrao say that the leader wants Jagan to expel him so that he could walk into the TDP getting sympathy.