In a jolt to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), two sitting members of the Parliament (MP) - Avanthi Srinivasa Rao of Anakapalle LS constituency in Visakhapatnam district and P Ravindra Babu of the Amalapuram-reserved (SC) constituency in East Godavari - quit the party and have joined the opposition YSR Congress party.

Srinivasa Rao joined the YSR Congress on Saturday and Ravindra Babu on Monday in Hyderabad, as Jaganmohan Reddy of the YSR Congress welcomed them into the party fold. Both the leaders blamed the ruling party and the style of functioning of the Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu. They also blamed the CM and his alleged flip-flops for the State not getting the promised Special Category status.

The defection of Avanthi Srinivasa Rao is a substantial blow to the party, as he belongs to the Kapu community whose vote is said to be very crucial for victory in the coming elections. The CM reacted to the defection and alleged that pressure was exerted on him by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Jaganmohan Reddy, as “Avanthi Srinivasa Rao has many assets in Hyderabad. KCR, Jagan and PM Modi are working in tandem in playing such foul politics but people will see through it and bless the TDP.”

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