Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu joins YSR Congress Party

AMARAVATI: Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu has joined the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). He met YSRCP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter’s camp office in Tadepalli on Thursday.

YS Jagan cordially welcomed Ambati Rayudu with a party scarf. “I begin my second innings in my life by entering into politics. I am very happy to join the YSRCP. I have a positive opinion about the Chief Minister who is doing politics irrespective of caste and religion. The administration was very transparent in Andhra Pradesh during YS Jagan’s rule,” Ambati Rayudu said after joining the YSRCP.

Ambati Rayudu represented Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad in domestic cricket. In June, after announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket including the Indian Premier League (IPL) Ambati Rayudu accompanied by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise owner N Srinivasan, daughter Rupa Gurunath met YS Jagan. He displayed the TATA IPL trophy won by the CSK to the Chief Minister.

Since then, Rayudu met YS Jagan at regular intervals and he even extensively toured several villages in Guntur district to understand the issues confronting the people at the grassroots level. Sources said that the YSRCP leadership which is aiming to field winning candidates in the Lok Sabha elections is likely to give a chance for Ambati Rayudu to contest as an MP from Guntur or Machilipatnam parliamentary constituencies.