One more YSRCP MLA to join TDP

Patapatnam (Srikakulam): One more YSRCP legislator has decided to join the ruling Telugu Desam Party. Patapatnam legislator Kalamata Venkata Ramana Murthy on Tuesday announced that he would join the TDP along with his politician-father Kalamata Mohana Rao on March 4.
After holding talks with his supporters in the past two days, Venkata Ramana announced his decision to leave the YSRCP.So far, six YSRCP legislators have joined the TDP.
Venkata Ramana told media that he had taken the decision in order to develop his assembly constituency. "There has been no development in the constituency as I am in the Opposition. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will solve the problems of people displaced by Vamsadhara project. Naidu will take up construction of earthen bunds as part of the Vamsadhara project," said Venkata Ramana. It is learnt that YSRCP leaders from Kotturu, Hiramandalam, LN Peta and Patapatnam mandals would also join the TDP.
Venkata Ramana contested on the TDP ticket in 2009 assembly polls from Patapatnam. But he lost the election by a margin of 20,790 votes. Senior politician Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju of the Congress won the seat in the triangular contest. Later, Venkata Ramana joined the YSRCP and won the election in 2014 by a majority of 3865 votes, defeating TDP nominee Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju.
Venkata Ramana's father Mohana Rao had won the assembly elections five times. He started his career as the president of a panchayat samithi and won the assembly election for the first time as an independent in 1978. He later joined the Congress. In 1989, he contested on the TDP ticket and retained the seat for four times before he opted to join Chiranjeevi's Prajarajyam Party. He joined the Congress and later quit the party.
Earlier in the day, Naidu hinted at more defections from the YSRCP while appealing to his party leaders to be more accommodative. "Don't worry, I can accommodate everyone in the party. Assembly seats will go up to 225 from 175 by next general elections because of delimitation of assembly segments. Besides, there are Rajya Sabha and MLC elections and nominated posts for the state-owned corporations," he stated.