Former minister and Kapu reservation stir fame Mudragada Padmanabham, who has been working against TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu since few years allegedly collabrating with Chief MInister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, has finally decided to join YSRCP, said to be to ensure a political space for his son. 

Mudragada Padmanabham said on Sunday that he will join the YSR Congress party on the 14th of this month. On this occasion, he said that he, his son, and a large number of followers were going to Tadepalli on the 14th. In the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy they will join YSRCP at 6 pm, he announced.

However, surprisingly  Mudragada has made it clear that he will not contest in the elections, but only to campaign on behalf of Jagan Mohan Reddy to become the CM once again. 

He also said as of now he didn’t want any position either in the party or in the government and would confine only to campaigning on behalf of the party. But, he expressed his desire for a key position without contest in the polls,  he will accept any post given to him after YSRCP comes back to power.

A section of Kapu community is angry with him for collaborating with Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has practically kept `Kapu reservation’ issue in cold storage after coming to power. Jagan kept idle on the resolution passed by the state assembly for Kapu reservation during Chandrababu Naidu regime. 

This has forced Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and many more Kapu leaders to maintain a distance with him. After Pawan Kalyan confirmed his alliance with TDP, YSRCP in a panic move seeking Mudragada’s help to counter anti-government sentiments in Kapu community. 

For the last few weeks, YSRCP leaders have been hinting that Mudragada will be their contest against Pawan Kalyan, who is reportedly contesting from Pithapuram to the state assembly. But the present decision of Mudragada not to contest in the elections, indicates his apprehension that his move to join YSRCP may not be received well by his own community people. 

After reaching into poll alliance with TDP and Jana Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Andhra Pradesh is hopeful of making its presence felt in the ensuing general elections in the state, from the present state of voting share lower than NOTA. 

BJP state president Daggubati Purandeshwari launched the party’s campaign chariots on Sunday in Vijayawada, marking the launching of its out-reach campaign for the polls. She said that during this campaign they will collect public view points for the preparation of the party’s election manifesto. 

Purandeshwari said that the setup of two collection boxes to gather public feedback on expectations from both the central and state governments, emphasizing the importance of citizen input in policy formulation.

Manifesto chariots are slated to be dispatched to nine districts as part of the outreach initiative aimed at engaging with diverse communities and incorporating their perspectives into the party’s agenda. 

The former union minister hailed the finalized alliance with the TDP-Jana Sena parties and said that details with regard to seats to be contested by each party will be revealed in a day or two. 

Stressing the urgent need to `liberate’ Andhra Pradesh from the mis-rule of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, she felt it is necessary that all like-minded forces should come together to fight against evil forces. 

In a reflective statement, Purandeshwari highlighted the importance of unity and collaboration in addressing the prevailing challenges and fostering a cohesive approach to combat the existing disorder in Andhra Pradesh. Drawing parallels to the tale of the squirrel aiding Lord Rama in building the bridge, she emphasized the collective effort required from all stakeholders, including disciplined activists, to bring about positive change and restore stability in the region.