Jolt To Jagan Reddy Ahead Of Civic Polls, Key Leader Switches To TDP

The defection of Vizianagaram Zilla Parishad Chairman and former YSRCP district president Majji Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Chinna Srinu, to the TDP has given the ruling party a potentially valuable organisational boost in North Andhra ahead of the state's local-body elections.

Srinivasa Rao and his daughter, Siri Sahasra, joined the TDP late on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati.

The move is politically significant as Srinivasa Rao was regarded as a key YSRCP organiser with a close working relationship with party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He is also a close relative of senior YSRCP leader and former minister Botsa Satyanarayana.

Srinivasa Rao joined active YSRCP politics in 2015 and subsequently became the party's Vizianagaram district president and Zilla Parishad chairman. His exit therefore represents more than the loss of just another party functionary. It raises questions about whether his district-level political network and supporters will follow him into the TDP.

The timing is significant. Andhra Pradesh's local-body elections are expected later this year, with the Election Department indicating that the process is to be completed by October, subject to the election authorities' schedule.

The YSRCP has been seeking to make the local polls a test of grassroots strength and a political battle between its organisation and the ruling TDP-led NDA coalition. Infact, the opposition party sources indicated that party chief is planning to field its friend MLAs and MPs and other senior leader as candidate to ensure they remain connected to ground and actively fight the TDP on the ground.

For the TDP, Srinivasa Rao could bring local contacts, organisational experience and Familiarity with the YSRCP grassroots machinery in Vizianagaram. For the YSRCP, his defection comes at a crucial moment as it seeks to rebuild its cadre after the 2024 electoral defeat.

Addressing a press conference at the TDP Central Office in Mangalagiri, Reddy alleged that the YSRCP was attempting to create obstacles for newly recruited teachers instead of welcoming the appointment of young professionals.
"The YSRCP's 'axe' attacks on the newly recruited Mega DSC teachers continue," Reddy said, alleging that the party had repeatedly attempted to obstruct the recruitment process.