Jagan's Bravado His Own Death Knell

YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy seems to have sounded the death-knell of his own Party by bluffing about his capacity to dethrone the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh at any given time.

Jagan, while interacting with the media recently after his visit to Raj Bhavan, had boasted that as many as 21 TDP MLAs were in touch with him, and that if he wanted he could pull down the Chandrababu Naidu government at any time. Understandably, this did not go well with the TDP leadership.

Jagan's comments, which also received flak from his own Party leaders, seemed to have provided the required impetus for the TDP leadership to entice and woo several exasperated and disgruntled YSRCP MLAs and leaders who were finding it increasingly hard to tolerate his "dictatorial actions and immature politics", and were biding their time. And having seen the MLAs and other leaders jumping into the ruling TRS in neighboring Telangana, the YSRCP leaders, too, seemed to have felt that they, too, should align with the ruling TDP to safeguard their political interests.

Thus, the sudden spurt in defections of YSRCP legislators and leaders to the TDP during the last two days, within a week of Jagan's bravado, wherein as many as five MLAs and one MLC dumped him in favor of Chandrababu Naidu.

Even before he could recover from the jolt given by his close confidante Bhuma Nagi Reddy and the latter's daughter Akhila Priya besides Jaleel Khan and C Adinarayana Reddy (all MLAs), and C Narayan Reddy (MLC), who jumped onto the TDP bandwagon on Monday, the YSRCP chief received another shock on Wednesday when his party's Badwel MLA Jayaramulu, too, joined the TDP.

What is more, speculations are rife in political circles that many more MLAs from the YSRCP are waiting in the wings to desert Jagan. These circles feel that it should not come as a surprise if the YSRCP suffers much more before the commencement of the AP Assembly session on March 3.