Pothula Sunitha, who resigned from her legislative council membership after being suspended from the Telugu Desam Party, is all set to get re-elected to the council from YSR Congress party.
YSRC president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday chose her as the party candidate for the MLC seat under MLAs’ quota, notification for which was issued by the Election Commission last week.
Sunitha called on the chief minister at his residence and he gave her the B-form to file the nomination. Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and Pothula Suresh were present.
Since the TDP has no strength to contest the MLC elections, Sunitha’s election to the council will only be a formality.
A follower of Paritala family, Pothula Sunitha along with her husband Pothula Suresh had been with the TDP for quite a long time.
She contested against Amanchi Krishna Mohan in Chirala in 2014 assembly elections. Later, Amanchi came to the TDP, resulting in clashes with Sunitha.
To appease her, Chandrababu Naidu nominated her as an MLC. Though Amanchi defected to the YSRC before 2019 elections, Sunitha continued in the TDP. But early this year, when the Jagan government decided to abolish the legislative council, Sunitha defected to the YSRC.
The TDP gave a letter to legislative council chairman requesting that she be disqualified for defecting to the YSRC. Even as the chairman is considering her disqualification, Sunitha resigned from her council membership.
Sunitha and Suresh said they had faced several humiliations in the party for over 25 years. They were denied the party tickets in the 2014 assembly elections by the TDP.
Though there were reports that the couple had joined the YSRC only to overcome the criminal cases pending against them, they denied the same.