It is more or less confirmed that senior Telugu Desam Party leader and MLC from Prakasam district Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy is going to join the YSR Congress party along with his sister-in-law and former MLA Magunta Parvathamma.
In all probability, Magunta and Parvathamma would join the YSRC in Hyderabad on Friday in the presence of party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
Senior YSRC leader and Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy is learnt to have finalized the deal with Magunta, who has been under tremendous pressure from TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to stay back in the party.
Magunta, who got elected to the Legislative Council from Prakasam district local bodies’ constituency in 2015, is understood to have been given an assurance that he would be fielded in the Lok Sabha elections from Ongole in 2019.
In fact, Magunta represented Ongole parliamentary constituency three times in the past on behalf of the Congress party, but lost the seat in 2014, when he contested on the TDP ticket against YSRC candidate and Jagan’s uncle Y V Subba Reddy.
Later, he was forced to contest as an MLC after Naidu promised him to take into the state cabinet. But as is his wont, Naidu did not stick to his promise, as a result of which Magunta has not been very active in the TDP politics. He even refused to accept the TDP Ongole unit president post in the past.
However, Magunta’s entry has made Y V Subba Reddy sulking. Jagan, who has been adopting a tough stand in the selection of candidates, categorically told Subba Reddy to work for the party and not expect the party ticket from Ongole this time.
At a recent meeting, Subba Reddy said there was no place for a person who had lost the election against him in the past and declared that he was going to contest again from Ongole, come what may. Apparently, Jagan was angry with his uncle for making negative comments against Magunta.
A couple of days ago, Subba Reddy met Jagan and insisted that he be given ticket from Ongole LS seat, but the YSRC chief was firm on his stand. As a result, Subba Reddy left for Ongole in a huff and went into hiding.
Subba Reddy did not attend the housewarming ceremony of Jagan at Tadepalli on Wednesday.
