For the last few months, the YSRCP leadership made all out to efforts to wipe out the TDP in Prakasam district by luring, persuading and even threatening its MLAs and top leaders.
It could successfully manage to trap senior TDP legislator Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthy from Chirala and former minister Siddha Raghava Rao from Darsi, after virtually threatening to break their financial backbone.
However, one TDP MLA who has become a hard nut to crack for the YSRC was Gottipati Ravi Kumar from Addanki.
The ruling party went all out to bring pressure on him to desert the TDP, but somehow the deal did not work out.
The YSRC government even got Gottipati’s mining leases cancelled and even seized his mines, but he went to the high court and got his leases back. So, the ruling party has decided to pull the rug from under his feet by trapping his followers.
On Tuesday, however, the YSRC dealt a strong blow on Gottipati Ravi Kumar by luring his strong follower Chinta Rama Rao, former Zilla Parishad member and senior TDP leader from Vellalacheruvu village of Santhamagaluru mandal.
Hitherto a right hand of Gottipati and a pillar of strength for the TDP in Addanki constituency, Chinta Rama Rao along with his supporters joined the YSRC in the presence of minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy.
Expectedly, Rama Rao said he had joined the ruling party after being attracted by the welfare schemes of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
It is a shock to Gottipati, as he has been protecting his cadre right from the beginning. In fact, he was originally with the Congress and won as an MLA.
He later joined the YSRC and won the seat, but defected to the TDP later. He has been continuing in the party since then.
