YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is known for taking quirky decisions, which will surprise even the most trusted loyalists of the party.
For Jagan, strengthening the party is more important than mere loyalty. If he thinks the leader is not able to deliver goods despite his or her loyalty to the party, he will not hesitate to sideline the leader and encourage new people.
Take the case of former minister and firebrand leader R K Roja from Nagari assembly constituency in Chittoor district.
She won the seat consecutively in 2014 and 2019 but the party has weakened to a large extent in these 10 years, leading to her defeat in the 2024 elections.
Even during her tenure as a minister, Roja faced difficulties from within her party, especially from former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who allegedly troubled her despite her ministerial position. Though Roja reported these issues to the party leadership, no action was taken.
Now, the YSRCP leadership is reportedly planning to sideline Roja in the constituency and bring in Gali Jagadish, a Telugu Desam Party leader and younger son of former minister late Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu, who represented Nagari in the past.
Jagadish is preparing to join YSRCP and is expected to be the party’s new choice for Nagari as the party in-charge.
Last month, Jagadish met with Jagan Mohan Reddy and expressed his willingness to join the party, after which the leadership gave him a green signal.
Jagadish’s brother, Gali Bhanu Prakash, is currently an MLA from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the same district. Though Jagadish initially wanted to contest from TDP, the party leadership quietly allocated the seat to his brother instead.
Now, as Jagadish prepares to switch parties, the YSRCP leadership is eager to welcome him without delay. There are speculations that this move might lead to internal divisions within the YSRCP in Nagari.
However, Jagan is keen on encouraging Jagadish, considering his financial strength and political experience.
It is becoming increasingly evident that if Jagadish joins YSRCP, he will be given the responsibility of handling constituency affairs, much to the chagrin of Roja.
