The recent MLC elections in Andhra Pradesh, which were held under the MLA quota, have garnered widespread attention. The opposition party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), emerged victorious in the polls, which came as a surprise to many. Despite having only 23 MLAs and a few of them being aligned with the ruling YSRCP, the TDP managed to clinch the seat. The victory of the TDP was unexpected, but it was made possible by cross-voting from the rebel YSRCP. Some believe that the overconfidence of the ruling party also played a role in the TDP's victory. Panchumarthi Anuradha, a former Mayor of Vijayawada and the TDP's candidate, emerged as the winner.
The result of the election was a significant setback for the YSRCP, which has set its sights on winning all 175 Assembly seats in the state under the slogan "Whynot 175." The party even hopes to win Kuppam, the Assembly seat of the TDP chief. Following the election, the YSRCP took action against four rebel leaders who had voted against the party's official candidate. The YSRCP suspended the four MLAs, leaving them with two options: either to join the TDP or to contest the polls as independent candidates.
The four rebel leaders played a crucial role in the TDP's victory, with two of them being Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and Venkatagiri MLA Anam Ramanarayana Reddy. The remaining two MLAs, Udayagiri MLA Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy and Tadikonda MLA Undavalli Sridevi, were also suspended. Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Government Advisor, announced the suspension of the four MLAs, citing an internal investigation. He also alleged that Chandrababu Naidu, the TDP chief, may have influenced the rebel leaders. By suspending the leaders, Jagan has passed a clear message that indiscipline will not be tolerated and only loyalty matters.
