Another MP resigns from Jagan’s party, set to join Jana Sena

Balashowry is the second MP who quit YSRCP in the last three days. On Wednesday, MP from Kurnool Sanjeev Kumar announced his resignation.

Another parliamentarian from the ruling YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh, Vallabhaneni Balashowry, announced his resignation from the party on Saturday.

Vallabhaneni Balashowry, MP from Machilipatnam, decided to quit YSRCP  apparently after getting signals from party chief and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy that he won’t get ticket in the upcoming general elections, a senior party leader said. (Vallabhaneni Balashowry / X)

Balashowry, who represents Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency in Krishna district, took to X (formerly Twitter) in the evening saying he was quitting the YSRCP. “I have decided to join the Jana Sena Party led by Pawan Kalyan,” he said in his post on his social media platform.

Balashowry took the decision, apparently after getting signals from party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy that he won’t get the party ticket in the upcoming general elections, a senior party leader familiar with the development said.

“Balashowry, who was till recently considered a staunch loyalist of Jagan, had not been getting along well with local MLA Perni Venkatramaiah alias Nani and other party leaders in the constituency,” the leader said.

Balashowry is the second YSRCP MP who quit the party in the last three days. On Wednesday, YSRCP MP from Kurnool Sanjeev Kumar announced his resignation from the party and also his Lok Sabha membership. He told reporters that he could not do anything for the development of Kurnool in the last four and a half years.

“I could meet the chief minister only twice in the last four years. There was no chance for me to seek developmental projects for Kurnool. I shall decide on my future course of action after discussing with the people and my followers in the constituency,” he said.

There are reports that Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and Narasaraopet MP Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu also would resign from the YSRCP in a day or two.

Already, YSRCP Lok Sabha member from Narasapuram K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju has turned a rebel, attacking Jagan and his government for the last four years. On Saturday, he announced that he would quit the party in the second week of February and contest the next elections on behalf of TDP-Jana Sena combine.

The YSRCP has 22 members in the Lok Sabha. The party president has denied tickets to Hindupur MP Gorantla Madhav, Eluru MP Kotagiri Sridhar, Machilipatnam MP V Balashowry and Kurnool MP Sanjeev Kumar.

Besides, he is shifting MPs from other constituencies to assembly seats for electoral contest. They include: Goddeti Madhavi (Araku), M V V Satyanarayana (Visakhapatnam), M Gurumurthy (Tirupati-SC), Margani Bharat (Rajahmundry), Vanga Geetha (Kakinada).