Amravati: Mary Rajasekhar, a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, who left the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in March, has decided to join the Telugu Desmas Party (TDP).
Rajasekhar was given the party president and Chief Minister N. on Friday evening. Chandrababu Naidu will be formally admitted to TDP.
On the last day of the previous legislature session in March, Rajasekhar announced the resignation from both YSRCP and the Legislative Council.
He had requested the council president Koy Mo Moshenu Raju to immediately accept his resignation. However, his resignation from the council has not yet been accepted.
Rajasekhar was elected to the Legislative Council through MLA Kota in 2023 and was left to end four years for his tenure.
He was the fifth MLC to leave YSRCP as the party lost power for the TDP -led NDA last year.
Jayamangala Venkataraman, Pothula Sunita, Balli Kalyan Chakraborty and Karari Padma Shri
Guntur district, Rajasekhar, was selected from Chilkuripat as an independent candidate in 2004 for the assembly, defeated TDP’s Pratipati Pula Rao by a wafer-thin majority of 212 votes. He later joined the Congress party but lost to Pula Rao from the same constituency in the 2009 elections. He contested the 2014 assembly elections as a YSRCP candidate, but suffered a defeat at the hands of Pula Rao once again.
In 2019, YSRCP fielded Rajni from Chilkaluripat constituency. She was elected with a vast majority and became a minister in the cabinet led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.
YSRCP transferred Rajni to Guntur West Constitution in 2024 elections, which she lost.
Rajasekhar was unhappy with the appointment of former minister Vidyadala Rajni as in -charge of the party for Chilkaluripat even after his defeat in last year’s election.
While leaving YSRCP, he alleged that he was not given proper recognition in the party. He also accused party president and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy of not making his promises.
,