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No end to TDP woes, third Andhra MLA quits, pledges loyalty to Jagan
Balaram told reporters that he was extending support to the YSRC after consulting his followers and people of his constituency.
In yet another shock to the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh, senior party leader and lawmaker from Prakasam district, Karanam Balarama Krishnamurthy on Thursday shifted loyalties to the ruling YSR Congress party.
The TDP MLA from Chirala assembly constituency met YSRC president and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter’s camp office in Tadepalli in Amaravati in the evening and extended his support to the ruling party.
Balaram, however, did not officially join the YSRC ostensibly to avoid getting disqualified from his assembly membership under Anti-Defection Law. But his son Karanam Venkatesh and former minister Paleti Rama Rao, who resigned from the TDP in the morning, joined the ruling party.
The veteran leader, who has been a Lok Sabha member, a five-time MLA and one-time MLC, began his political career as a Congress leader in 1978 but later joined the TDP following a call from party founder and former chief minister N T Rama Rao.
He had been a trusted lieutenant of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and a strong force for the party in Prakasam district. However, his differences with his rival group led by Addanki MLA Gottipati Ravi Kumar led to his defection.
Balaram told reporters that he was extending support to the YSRC after consulting his followers and people of his constituency.
“My intention is to ensure the continuance of developmental works in my constituency,” he said.
Balaram, who defeated YSRC candidate Amanchi Krishna Mohan with a margin of over 17,000 votes in the last assembly elections, is the third MLA to leave the TDP in the last 10 months.
Earlier, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and Guntur (West) MLA Maddali Giridhar also distanced themselves from the TDP and announced their support to the YSRC. With this, the effective strength of the TDP in the 175-member assembly has come down to 20, however, technically it remains 23 since none of the three have officially joined the YSRC.
Both Vamsi Mohan and Giridhar have been allocated separate seats in the assembly by Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, following their request. Balaram, too, is likely to follow suit.
In the last few days, several senior leaders including MLCs Dokka Manikya Varaprasada Rao, Pothula Sunitha and D Sivanath Reddy, former deputy chairman of legislative council S V Satish Reddy, former minister P Ramasubba Reddy, former MLAs Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, Kadiri Babu Rao, Thota Trimurthulu Beeda Mastan Rao and S A Rahman and former MLC Jupudi Prabhakar Rao, have quit.
