The YSRCP has suspended all four MLAs suspected of cross voting in yesterday’s MLC election which led to the victory of TDP candidate Panchumarthi Anuradha. Senior YSRCP leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy also alleged that the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu bought the errant YSRCP MLAs for Rs 10-15 crore and also offered them tickets in the next elections.

The electoral loss has badly embarrassed the ruling YSRCP although six of the seven candidates fielded by it won as MLC. The setback has also posed questions on the leadership of YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and whether he has lost control over his party MLAs.

“We did some internal investigations and the party is convinced that all four MLAs crossed the line and did this. After discussing with senior leaders our party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy garu decided to suspend four MLAs – Anam Ramanarayan Reddy, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy and Undavalli Sreedevi,” said Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.

“We are convinced that crores of rupees have changed hands. Mr Chandrababu Naidu, TDP president is habituated to do this sort of thing, buying MLAs and MPs, playing mind games. He did this sort of thing earlier too. So we are convinced he paid each MLA Rs 10-15 crores,” he went on to add.

While TDP’s strength has dwindled to 19 after defections, it managed to secure 23 votes for Panchumarthi Anuradha due to cross voting by four YSRCP MLAs. Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy and Undavalli Sreedevi were unhappy as the party president had put two other leaders as constituency in charges thereby undermining their role in their own constituencies.

The chief minister also warned several MLAs that they would not be given tickets unless they improve their performances. Undavalli Sreedevi who had met the chief minister before casting her vote has denied voting for the TDP candidate.

Meanwhile TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu today took a dig at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He said, “Winning the Legislative Council election with 23 votes on 23 March 2023 is nothing but God’s script and the Almighty has redrafted the script,” said Naidu referring to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s comments after winning the 2019 elections in which TDP was reduced to 23 MLAs and 3 MPs.

Reddy had said that it was God’s retribution since during TDP regime Naidu engineered the defection of 23 YSRCP MLAs.