YSRC leader Yarlagadda quits to join TDP

Venkata Rao said that although he got a green card in the US in 2005, he returned to Gannavaram as he was interested in politics and contested as YSRCP candidate in 2019.

Vijayawada: Leader of the ruling YSR Congress Party in Gannavaram, Yarlagadda Venkata Rao, on Friday quit the party and announced that he would join the Telugu Desam Party. At a recent meeting with his followers, he had expressed his wish to meet TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and seek ticket for contesting from Gannavaram. He was clearly frustrated that the ruling party did not assure him a ticket to contest again.

Venkata Rao said that although he got a green card in the US in 2005, he returned to Gannavaram as he was interested in politics and contested as YSRCP candidate in 2019. “Though I was defeated, I worked hard for the party and those who worked with me did not get any posts. Two days ago, I met party bigwigs and sought the ticket. They did not seem interested. Sajjala wanted me to work in the Gadapa Gadapaku programme and he seemed to say that I could either stay or leave the party,” he said.

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Reacting to the decision of Venkata Rao, YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said that Venkata Rao apparently had already taken the decision to quit and everyone had the freedom to take their own decisions. But party issues should be sorted out within without going to the media, he pointed out.