In a rude jolt to Rajya Sabha MP and YSRCP general secretary Vijayasai Reddy on his birthday, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy stripped him of his responsibility of overseeing party affairs at his Tadepalli camp office.

Vijaya Sai Reddy is considered as Jagan’s man Friday. Considered to be Jagan’s trusted lieutenant and a master strategist, Vijayasai Reddy stood by Jagan through thick and thin. The party general secretary stood by Jagan and even went to jail with him in the disproportionate assets and quid pro quo cases. He has been with Jagan when he was going through a rough patch, especially when he was facing the CBI heat in the disproportionate assets case. However, Jagan has restricted the role of Vijayasai Reddy. While limiting the role of Vijayasai Reddy, the YSRCP president has asked him to oversee the party affairs in North Andhra (Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Vizag).

Jagan has entrusted his advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy to oversee party affairs at Tadepalli office. Further, Y V Subbareddy was asked to oversee and monitor party affairs in Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Chittoor districts.

Political observers said this is the first step taken by Jagan Mohan Reddy to sideline Vijayasai Reddy. However, speculations over differences between Jagan and Vijayasai Reddy emerged when the latter was not part of the team that visited Vizag to console the victims of the gas tragedy.

However, Vijaya Sai Reddy scoffed at the speculation reports that he had been sidelined by Jagan owing to some differences. He termed such reports as cooked up stories and that he had remained a close follower of Jagan since the formation of the YSRCP.

Interestingly, Vijayasai Reddy was conspicuously absent when Jagan Mohan Reddy flagged off a fleet of 1,088 vehicles of 108 and 104 ambulances at Benz Circle in Vijayawada on Wednesday. Jagan along with ministers Kali Krishna Srinivas, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy and officials of the departments concerned took part in the launch ceremony.

Jagan apparently distanced Vijayasai Reddy with growing criticism from the opposition over prematurely cancelling the existing contract with ‘108’ service provider BVG India Ltd. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had claimed this was done in order to give the contract at a higher price to Aurobindo Pharma Foundation Consortium, which is co-founded by P V Ramprasad Reddy, who is related to Vijayasai Reddy.