Jolt to TDP: Daggubati Venkateswara Rao may quit TDP

In what could be seen as a setback to the ruling TDP in Prakasam district ahead of the ensuing elections, Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan is said to have decided to join the Opposition YSRC in the coming days. The TDP high command’s mediation with the MLA reportedly proved futile. Amanchi won as an independent from Chirala constituency in 2014 and later got closer to the TDP. He is now an associated member of the ruling party.

The equations started changing over the past few months with the elevation of Pothula Sunitha, who unsuccessfully contested the Chirala seat on TDP ticket in 2014 elections as an MLC and State president of the TDP Mahila wing. Amanchi was reportedly disappointed over Sunitha given more prominence than him in the constituency and reportedly decided to distance himself from the party.

The joining of former minister Daggubati Venkateswara Rao in the YSRC reportedly made it easy for Amanchi to join the YSRC, sources said. It is learnt that Daggubati convinced the YSRC leadership that accommodating Amanchi will be helpful for the party as he can influence a section of voters in Parchur, the constituency from which Daggubati wants to contest.

It is learnt that the YSRC leadership gave February 6 deadline to Amanchi to take a decision. Amanchi on Tuesday held a meeting with his followers and it is learnt that TDP leadership had initially asked senior leader from the district, Karanam Balaram, to mediate but the latter refused to do so.

Finally, minister Siddha Raghava Rao held discussion with Amanchi for nearly two hours but sources said the latter made it clear that he would quit the party. Asked about the result of the talks, the minister asked the waiting media persons to ask Amanchi. Amanchi is likely to join YSRC in the presence of party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy when the latter visits the district on February 13 as part of the Samara Shankaravam meetings of Jagan across the 13 districts.