Senior Telugu Desam Party leader and MLC from Prakasam district Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy is learnt to have decided to join the YSR Congress party.
Magunta, who got elected to the Legislative Council from Prakasam district local bodies’ constituency in 2015, reportedly got the offer from YSR Congress party 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 Y V Subba Reddy.
Later, he was forced to contest as an MLC after TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu 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, offered by Naidu.
On Wednesday, too, Magunta attended the meeting of Prakasam district TDP leaders convened by Naidu, but he did not get any concrete assurance from the party president on fielding him from Ongole LS constituency or assembly in the next elections.
It is learnt former MLA and YSRC leader Balineni Srinivas Reddy, who happens to be a close friend of Magunta since the days of the Congress party, played a key role in convincing the latter to join the YSRC.
And party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy promised to field him from Ongole Lok Sabha seat, in place of his uncle Y V Subba Reddy.
Probably, Subba Reddy is keen on contesting assembly elections to become a minister in the state cabinet, if possible, sources said.
