Andhra Pradesh MLAs cast votes in MLC elections amid cross-voting fears

AMARAVATI: The voting for elections to seven MLC seats under the MLAs’ constituency in Andhra Pradesh was conducted at the State Assembly building in Velagapudi on Thursday. Chief Minister and President of YSRCP YS Jaganmohan Reddy was among the first to cast his vote in the voting that began at 9 am.

By late afternoon, all the 175 members exercised their franchise, with YSRCP MLA B Appalanaidu representing Nellimerla in North Andhra, being the last to cast his vote. Appalanaidu, who was busy with his son's wedding on Thursday, was flown in a special flight by the ruling party to enable him to vote in the crucial MLC elections.

With the support of over 150 members, the YSRCP is confident of winning all the seven seats. The TDP, with an official strength of 23 MLAs and a current strength less than that, has fielded Panchumarthi Anuradha for one seat in the hope of some cross-voting from the ruling party members.

After YS Jagan cast his vote on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Narayana Swamy, Ministers Gudivada Amarnath, Ushasri Charan and Dadisetty Raja and MLAs Namburi Sankara Rao and Mekathoti Sucharita were the next to exercise their franchise. By 1 pm, the voting was almost completed barring the exception of Appalanaidu. By this time, the voting saw the participation of 174 MLAs as against the total of 175.

Until 12 noon, a total of 172 MLAs, out of a total of 175 members, reportedly cast their vote. The voting number was recorded at 130 until 11 am. The continent of the TDP MLAs led by their President Chandrababu Naidu left for the State Assembly post 11 am and took part in the MLC voting. TDP MLA Jogeswara Rao, who is indisposed, came to the Assembly in a wheelchair and exercised his franchise. But the party's senior legislator Payyavula Kesav reportedly did not turn up for voting until 12 noon, raising a few eyebrows in the process. The party sources were confident that Kesav would arrive sooner or later to cast his vote.

The MLC elections under the MLAs’ constituency are happening amid speculation and suspense on the possibility of cross-voting from both the YSRCP and the TDP. Though the opposition party has a recorded strength of 23 members in the Assembly, four of them have turned rebel and hence are likely to vote in favour of the ruling party.

They include Vallabhaneni Vamsi (Gannavaram), Maddali Giridhara Rao (Guntur West) and Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar, representing Visakhapatnam South, who were elected on a TDP ticket in the 2019 elections but later defected to the ruling YSRCP. Officially, they continue to be TDP members as they neither resigned as legislators nor were they suspended by the TDP or disqualified by the Speaker. This in effect, reduces the effective TDP strength to 19 while at least 22 votes, based on the total strength of the House, are required for the opposition party to win one MLC seat.

The YSRCP which, on record, has 151 members, enjoys the support of the four TDP rebel MLAs and the lone Jana Sena legislator Rapaka Vara Prasad, who switched his loyalties to the ruling party soon after his election in 2019. But the ruling party too is beset with rebellion from two of its legislators – Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy from Nellore Rural and Anam Ramanarayana Reddy representing Venkatagiri. Following their recent open revolt against the YSRCP, it is only an understatement that the duo would vote in favour of the TDP in the MLC elections. This effectively reduces the YSRCP cumulative support to 154 votes.

Despite not having requisite numbers to even field its candidate, the TDP put up Panchumarthi Anuradha belonging to the Backward Classes in the fray, hoping for some cross-voting from some other disgruntled ruling party members. The opposition party is pinning its hopes on unexpected support from YSRCP’s Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad and Undavalli Sridevi (Tadikonda), who are speculated to be having compatibility issues within their party.

The YSRCP however brushes this aside as a mere campaign of bluster by the TDP as part of its mind games aimed at influencing the ruling party legislators at the last moment.

Meanwhile, YSRCP rebel MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, speaking to the media later, said that he voted in the MLC elections as per his conscience call. Without going into details, he said that he went by his personal conscience while casting his vote. He evaded a pointed answer when asked about others, stating that he had no idea about other MLAs. “I cannot intrude into their hearts and minds,” he quipped.