As speculated in media circles for some time, senior YSR Congress Party leader Marri Rajasekhar resigned from the party and his membership in the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Council on Wednesday.
Rajasekhar, who previously represented the Chilakaluripet Assembly seat, is the fifth MLC to resign from YSRCP.
The four others — Jayamangala Venkataramana, Pothula Sunitha, Balli Kalyan Chakravarthy, and Karri Padma Sri — had already left the party in recent months.
He initially won as an independent MLA from Chilakaluripet before joining the Congress under Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s leadership. However, he lost the elections in 2009.
A trusted lieutenant of YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Rajasekhar had been associated with the party since its inception.
In the 2014 elections, he was given a ticket to contest from Chilakaluripet but was unsuccessful. In 2019, he was denied a ticket in favor of Vidudala Rajini, who had recently joined the party. Later, in 2024, he was appointed as an MLC.
Despite aspiring to contest from Chilakaluripet in the 2024 elections, he was once again overlooked, leading to growing dissatisfaction.
His frustration deepened when, even after the elections, the responsibility of Chilakaluripet in-charge was given to Rajini instead of him.
Following this decision, Rajasekhar distanced himself from party activities for some time before ultimately deciding to resign.
Speculation had been rife that Rajasekhar might switch to the TDP, and his resignation now confirms those rumors.
His departure marks a significant loss for the YSRCP, as he had been a long-standing member since the party's formation.
