TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao set to join YSRCP

According to sources, the new district president of YSRCP and former MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, a close follower of Ganta, is keen on roping in the senior leader well in time for the 2024 general elections

Visakhapatnam: The ground is being prepared for former minister and Telugu Desam Party MLA from Visakhapatnam North, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, to join the ruling YSR Congress Party next month.

According to sources, the new district president of YSRCP and former MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, a close follower of Ganta, is keen on roping in the senior leader well in time for the 2024 general elections to strengthen the party as well as guide it home.

Rated as the biggest new generation leader in north Andhra, Ganta also made attempts to get into the ruling party earlier, but it did not materialise due to YSRCP policy of admitting people’s representatives from other parties only after they resigned.

However, of late it seems to have relaxed its stand and admitted many small and big leaders including those who were its bitter critics in the past and even rewarded them with some plum posts. At least four TDP legislators are now with the ruling party as associate members, including the Visakhapatnam South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar and this should facilitate entry of Ganta, the most sought after leader by all political parties as he has all the credentials –undefeated in every election he contested during the last two decades, proven poll strategist and also known for his strong money and muscle power.

When he was in the Praja Rajyam Party of Mega Star Chiranjeevi, he was said to have played his cards well to get his supporters who included Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, former minister Avanti Srinivasa Rao and newcomers like Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah, to win by handsome margins. And before Chiranjeevi merged his PRP in the Congress party, the TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu was said to press him to join the TDP but Ganta then preferred the Congress party which was in power. And shortly after this, he joined the TDP on his terms on the eve of 2014 polls and got the tickets for his followers to contest the elections with success and became a key member in the Chandrababu Cabinet.

Though the TDP was swept away by the Jagan wave in 2019, Ganta stood like a rock and sensing that the YSRCP was going from strength to strength winning all elections to local bodies, tried to cross over.

Ever since the TDP lost power, Ganta chose to keep a distance from it but occasionally showed his presence when it was thought Jagan was likely to lose ground. However, with the YSRCP now placed firmly in its seat, he seems to have decided to join it and Panchakarla is preparing for his grand entry into the ruling party.