In a significant setback to Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, two YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha MPs, Beedha Mastan Rao Jadhav and Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi, resigned from the Upper House on Thursday. This development further weakens Jagan’s party, which already faced a significant defeat in this year’s Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.
The MPs submitted their resignations to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has accepted them, according to parliamentary sources. Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi, who had a term until June 2026, confirmed his resignation from the party before stepping down from his Rajya Sabha membership.
Sources indicate that both industrialists, Rao and Mopidevi, are likely to join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The MPs have reportedly met with Naidu and expressed their willingness to switch parties. While Rao is expected to be renominated to the Rajya Sabha in the upcoming by-election, Mopidevi may join TDP unconditionally.
This move marks TDP’s re-entry into the Rajya Sabha, as the party, which had no representation in the Upper House, is now set to win the vacant seats in the by-elections uncontested. Mopidevi’s departure from YSRCP is believed to stem from his dissatisfaction with the party leadership after being denied a ticket in the recent assembly election.
Mopidevi, a former minister, has a history of loyalty to ex-Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He was the first minister arrested by the CBI in 2012 during the investigation into Jagan’s disproportionate assets case. After securing bail, Mopidevi joined YSRCP but lost the 2014 and 2019 elections. Despite this, Jagan brought him into the cabinet and later appointed him to the legislative council.
This political shift signals a potential realignment in Andhra Pradesh’s political landscape as the state gears up for future elections.
