Nearly five years after resigning from the Telugu Desam Party, popular leader from Pulivendula in Kadapa and former deputy chairman of state legislative council S V Satish Reddy joined the YSR Congress party in the presence of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalli camp office on Friday.
Satish Reddy, who had been with the TDP for nearly three decades, had been a staunch loyalist of TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
He had contested against Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, his wife Vijayalakshmi and even Jagan Mohan Reddy from Pulivendula.
At one stage, he had almost given YSR a run for his money in Pulivendula, reducing the latter’s margin to less than 8,000 votes.
Even after losing the seat, Naidu made him an MLC and the deputy chairman of the legislative council.
However, soon after the TDP lost the elections in 2019, he resigned from the party but did not join any other party. He had alleged then that he was being targeted by the YSRCP government.
Satish Reddy made an attempt to return to the TDP fold again and the party ticket from Pulivendula, but Naidu had already selected B Tech Ravi for the seat and hence, did not entertain Satish’s request.
So, he chose to join the YSRCP. He held a meeting with his followers and supporters in Vempalle on Wednesday and announced that he would be joining the YSRCP.
“Jagan Mohan Reddy had also invited me into the party. I never expected that I would get such a reception from Jagan, though I opposed YSR family for a long time,” he said.
Satish further said there was no respect for seniors in the TDP and it was Lokesh, who was dominating the entire show.
“The TDP has become a commercial entity. It is selling the party tickets for money,” he said.
He wondered why he had opposed the YSR family all these days.
“Hereafter, whatever Jagan tells me, I shall follow it,” he asserted.