Dadi and family quit YSRCP again: What’s next?

Former minister and senior YSR Congress party leader Dadi Veerabhadra Rao, who had once ruled the roost in Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam districts, had resigned from the party along with his family members and followers, ahead of the assembly and general elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Dadi sent a one-sentence resignation letter to party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, with a copy to party general secretaries Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and V Vijay Sai Reddy.

Before sending his resignation letter to Jagan, the former minister held a meeting with his followers and discussed his plans.

“I shall make a statement soon on my future course of action in politics. I shall disclose which party I am going to join in the coming days,” Dadi said.

In the combined Andhra Pradesh, Dadi was one of the most important leaders in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle as the Telugu Desam Party leader. He had been a four-time TDP MLA and was a senior minister N Chandrababu Naidu cabinet.

Before 2014 elections, Dadi, along with his sons Ratnakar and Jayaveer, defected to the YSRCP. Ratnakar was given the party ticket from Visakhapatnam (west) assembly constituency, but he lost the elections, as TDP came to power.

After 2014, Dadi and his family were sidelined in the YSRC with the emergence of younger leaders like Gudivada Amarnath.

He quit the party subsequently and used to make strong criticism against Jagan and the party, saying he was humiliated. He even regretted quitting the TDP, but Naidu did not entertain him.

Before 2019 elections, Dadi and his sons returned to YSRCP, hoping that they would get the bright future again. In fact, Jagan promised to make Dadi an MLC, but could not keep up the promise. Subsequently, Dadi was gradually isolated in Anakapalle.

Now that elections are fast approaching, Dadi has started looking for other parties to brighten his prospects. He may approach the TDP again to sustain his political future, say sources.