In a major blow to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh, the President of its youth wing 'Telugu Yuvata', Devineni Avinash, quit the party on Thursday, to join the YSRCP led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Avinash said that he and his followers had decided to quit the TDP as he was dissatisfied with not getting any recognition in the party.
He met with Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter's camp office in Amaravati, even as TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu held a day-long fast in Vijayawada over the shortage of sand in the state.
Avinash, who hails from a prominent family of politicians in the state, had recently contested from the Gudivada constituency, but failed to win the seat.
Avinash's father, Devineni 'Nehru' Rajasekhar, was a key figure in Vjiayawada politics.
Rajasekhar’s family had a long-running feud with their political rival Vangaveeti Ranga, a leader of the Congress party and belonging to the Kapu community, who was murdered in 1988 when he was on a hunger strike. Ranga's death had sparked unprecedented violence in Vijayawada and other parts of Krishna district, which killed over 40 people.
Despite Devineni Uma, Avinash's uncle, requesting him to stay in the TDP, the leader has decided to part ways.
Meanwhile, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who had submitted his resignation from the TDP a few days ago, also said that he would be backing the YSRCP.
As CM Jagan had already declared that his party would not accept any defecting legislators unless they resigned, it remains unclear whether Vamsi would join the YSRCP or support it from outside.
With this, two key leaders from the Kamma community, who rule the roost in Vijayawada and are the strongest voter base for the TDP, have now pledged allegiance to the YSRCP.