Andhra Pradesh | Why Alla Reddy's resignation has left Jagan rattled

Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLA from Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, has quit the party and the Assembly, jolting Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy ahead of the Assembly elections that are just months away.

Once considered an ardent supporter of Jagan, Alla Reddy decided to part ways, claiming he had been overlooked by the party leadership.

The YRSCP – which has targeted to win all 175 seats in the Assembly in 2024 – is beset with revolts. Already, four MLAs – Anam Ramanarayana Reddy (Atmakur), Kotimreddy Sridhar Reddy (Nellore Rural), Vundavalli Sridevi (Tadikonda) and Mekapati Chandrasekha Reddy (Udayagiri) – have revolted against Jagan Mohan but have chosen not to quit the party. Alla Reddy has taken a more strident stand against the party leadership by resigning.

It may be a coincidence but four of the five rebels are from Jagan's caste.

Trouble unfolds

Alla Reddy’s move came within 24 hours after Jagan's close relative Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, an MLA from Ongolu, made a sarcastic comment that “our boy does not care about us” – meaning he (Alla) was not happy with Jagan.

"I resigned from the post of MLA and YSRCP due to personal reasons. I submitted the letter in the Speaker's office. I asked the Speaker to approve it,” a visibly peeved Alla Reddy told the media. Pressed for more information, he said the real reasons for the resignation would be made public soon. He submitted the resignation on Monday.

Both Alla Reddy and Balineni Reddy have for long been considered the Chief Minister’s confidants. Political sources observe that their revolt is an indicator of the coming internal storm ahead of elections.

Raghuramakrishnam Raju, an MP, has also raised the banner of rebellion against Jagan Mohan. He was expelled from the party, which could not get him disqualified. He is said to be hobnobbing with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Alla Reddy has been in politics since 1995. He worked for the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) in the Congress at one point. In 2004, he hoped to be nominated from Sattenapalli and in 2009 from Pedakurapadu. He was denied ticket.

After YSR’s death he joined the YSR Congress. In 2014, he won the Assembly election from Mangalagiri, defeating TDP’s Nara Lokesh, son of former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Fall from grace

He fell from the grace of leadership because of factional feuds in the constituency, allegedly encouraged by Jagan Mohan. Alla's rivals are reportedly promoting an OBC leader to replace him, infuriating him.

“Something is happening in the party. It is not running as smoothly as expected. Alla Ramakrishna Reddy leaving the party is a big shock and will not be without consequences," warned V Gopala Rao, a political analyst in Andhra Pradesh. “Alla’s episode is only a tip of the iceberg. More revolts will follow if Jagan wants to replace sitting MLAs with new candidates in the name of anti-incumbency,” he added.

Tippala Nagireddy, MLA from Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam, is another rebel. He became a 'giant killer' when he defeated Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan by more than 17,000 votes in 2019. But he is not to be seen around in the party now amid rumours that he is going to be replaced in the constituency.

Alla Reddy’s resignation from the party and the legislature has triggered much speculation. It was he who dragged TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu to the High Court in a case related to the Amaravati insider trading of Amaravati lands.

Sources in the party say that Alla Reddy has become unpopular in the constituency and he was being perceived as a liability for the next election.

However, Alla Reddy’s followers deny the charge. B Venugopalaswamy Reddy, the Tadepalli town party president, insists this is not true.

“Alla resigned from the party because he was unhappy with the leadership and the government. Adequate funds were not being given to Mangalagiri constituency. He was upset because the chief minister promised to give Rs 1,250 crore to the constituency and then reneged on his word. Alla Reddy feels he is being neglected.”

Lokesh factor

In the 2019 elections, Lokesh lost to Alla Reddy by a thin margin. Jagan Mohan feels that Lokesh may bounce back in 2024 if Alla Reddy remains the candidate. So, the chief minister is said to scouting for a new candidate.

The grapevine has it that Jagan wants to give ticket in 2024 to a person from the weavers’ community, numerically a strong OBC community. Ganji Chiranjeevi, a leader from this community, recently joined the party.

As far as Alla Reddy is concerned, he has had enough.