Andhra Speaker accepts resignation of 2 MLAs who defected to Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena

Andhra Pradesh Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Tuesday accepted the resignations of BJP MLA Akula Satyanarayana and former state minister and TDP MLA Ravela Kishore Babu. Both the leaders had submitted their resignation letters when they joined the Jana Sena Party, floated by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan. 

Just earlier this month, BJP MLA Akula Satyanarayana resigned from his party. In his resignation letter to the Speaker, he said that he was resigning as the legislator of Rajamahendravaram.  Akula said that he did not demand any particular ticket from the Jana Sena, adding that he would strive to work for the party and carry out whatever duties were assigned to him. 

Ravela Kishore Babu quit the TDP in December last year, citing caste bias and alleging that he was 'humiliated' in the ruling party. He belongs to the Dalit (Madiga) community and was elected from Prathipadu assembly constituency in the 2014 Assembly Elections. He went on to became Social Welfare Minister in Chandrababu's cabinet.

Kishore Babu was an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer before joining the TDP before the 2014 elections. However, in the cabinet expansion that took place in March 2017, he was ousted.  "I'm exhausted with all the belittling, group politics, discrimination against Dalits and Dalit leaders, it’s humiliating at every step," he had told reporters while leaving TDP.

Pawan Kalyan had earlier announced that his party would contest in all 175 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh in 2019. However, he said evinced interest since then, in forging an alliance with the Left parties; CPI and CPM.

The party has already been allotted its poll symbol—a glass tumbler – by the Election Commission.  

In the 2019 Assembly Elections, Pawan Kalyan will be up against the ruling TDP led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSRCP.

Meanwhile, the Speaker also announced that the state’s Assembly session will begin on January 30 and is likely to go on till February 8. State Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu is expected to present a vote-on-account on February 5.

While Governor ESL Narasimhan will address a joint session of Assembly and Legsiatlve Council on Wednesday, the chief Opposition party, the YSRCP, has decided to boycott the proceedings entirely.