Two YSRCP MPs resign, party’s strength in Rajya Sabha declines to 9

Two YSRCP lawmakers from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday quit the party and also tendered their resignation from the House, said people aware of the details, adding that more such resignations are likely to take place in the coming days.

Party MPs Mopidevi Venkataramana and Beeda Mastan Rao met Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and submitted separate letters on their resignation, citing personal reasons. Dhankhar has accepted their resignation, the people cited above said.

With the two resignations, the strength of the YSRCP, the primary opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, has reduced from 11 to nine.

“There are indications that a few more Rajya Sabha MPs will also quit the party and their membership,” a YSRCP leader said, seeking anonymity.

The developments came a day after YSRCP women’s wing president and Member of Legislative Council Pothula Sunitha also quit the party on personal grounds.

Venkataramana’s term in the Upper House was scheduled to expire in June 2026 and Mastan Rao’s in June 2028.

Speaking to reporters, Venkataramana said he would soon join the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP). “I shall accept whatever responsibility I am given by the party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is making sincere efforts to develop the state,” he said.

The TDP, which is a key partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has no representation in the Upper House.

Venkataramana said he decided to quit the YSRCP after a lot of consideration. “I was never interested in becoming a Rajya Sabha member, but always wanted to serve the people of my constituency Repalle in Bapatla district,” he said.

He, however, thanked YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for providing him an opportunity to serve the party. “I was very disturbed with the developments in the YSRCP in the last one year,” he said.

Venkataramana entered politics by joining the Congress in 1989. He, however, lost the elections from Kuchinapudi assembly constituency that year and in 1994. In 1999, he got elected from the same constituency and was re-elected in 2004. In 2009, he was elected from Repalle seat.

The 60-year-old served as a minister in the cabinets of late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and later N Kiran Kumar Reddy. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Venkataramana joined the YSRCP, but lost the assembly elections both in 2014 and 2019. He was later nominated to the state legislative council and was inducted into the then Jagan Mohan Reddy cabinet. In 2020, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Mastan Rao, on the other hand, said he is yet to take a call on his next move. “I have not yet taken a decision on my future course of action. I shall discuss with my followers and supporters on which party I should join,” he said.

The 66-year-old, better known as B M Rao, is the chairman of BMR Group, a shrimp farming and exports firm with plants in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A backward class leader belonging to the Yadava community, his political journey began with the TDP in 1983. In 2004 and 2009, he was elected as an MLA from Kavali seat.

In 2014, Mastan Rao lost the seat to the YSRCP. Four years later, he contested from Nellore Lok Sabha seat but was defeated by the YSRCP. In December 2019, he quit the TDP and joined the YSRCP. He became a Rajya Sabha MP in 2022.

He has also served as a member of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority.

The YSRCP strongly reacted to the resignations.

Former minister and YSRCP spokesman Ambati Rambabu said it was unfortunate that some leaders were joining the TDP just because the YSRCP lost power in the assembly elections this year. “They have lost their dignity and image. Such leaders will not get the support of the people,” he said.

Another senior YSRCP leader and former minister Kakani Goverdhan Reddy accused chief minister Naidu of luring YSRCP leaders by promising them attractive positions in the party and the government. “During his earlier stint as chief minister, Naidu lured 23 YSRCP legislators and in the subsequent elections (2019), his party ended up with 23 seats in the assembly,” he said.

Senior TDP legislator and former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao said the YSRCP is a “sinking ship” and hence, many leaders were deserting it and shifting to the ruling party. “When Jagan was chief minister, he used to say the TDP would become empty if the YSRCP opened its gates. Now, the YSRCP is facing such a situation. Many MLAs and MPs are keen on joining the TDP,” Rao said.