YSR Congress Party president and Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today indicated that many Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders are waiting to join his party. Welcoming former Vijayawada (West) MLA Vellampalli Srinivas into the party at the party headquarters in Hyderabad, he said it is only a beginning. “Many migrations are ready to follow”, he added.

Stating that ruling Telugu Desam Party is ruining itself by the anti-people policies of Chandrababu Naidu, he said many of its party leaders are being vexed with the governance of Chief Minister Chandrababu naidu. He expressed confidence that the exodus which has just begun will continue until the party gets into power in the state.

“The joining of leaders like Vellampalli Srinivas in YSRCP is a clear indication of the political future of the state,” he said and assured that those who join the party will be given their due positions and all the respect and dignity.

Srinivas, considered to be a dynamic leader in Vijayawada, unsuccessfully contested as BJP candidate in 2014 elections against then YSR Congress party candidate Jaleel Khan. Since Jaleel Khan has now defected to the Telugu Desam Party, decks have been cleared for Srinivas’ entry into the YSR Congress party.

In fact, Srinivas who won the MLA seat from Vijayawada (West) in 2009 elections on behalf of Praja Rajyam Party which later got merged with the Congress party, desperately tried to get into the YSR Congress party in 2014. However, Jagan Mohan Reddy preferred Jaleel Khan because the constituency has good number of minority votes.

Having no other option, Srinivas tried to join the TDP but the seat was given to the BJP as part of seat sharing. So, he joined the BJP and contested in the elections, but lost to Jaleel Khan.