Resignations pose no danger to Kiran government

Even if Punganur Congress MLA Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy’s resignation is accepted, there will be no immediate threat to the survival of N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s government in the state.

The Assembly has an effective strength of   293 members (TDP legislator Suman Rathod’s membership was annulled by the court), and the Congress’ strength is 153 (including one associate member).

If Ramachandra Reddy’s resignation is accepted, the ruling party’s strength will come down to 152 which will be five more than the “magic figure” of 147 needed for simple majority. That means, even after accepting Ramachandra Reddy’s resignation,  the state government will not be in peril.  Some Congress leaders feel that since speaker N Manohar is opposed to “repeated bypolls”, it is unlikely that he will accept the latest resignation.

As the speaker has not yet taken a decision on the resignations of Congress legislators S Venkata Krishna Ranga Rao (Bobbili), All Kali Krishna Srinivas alias Nani (Eluru) and Maddala Rajesh Kumar (Chintalapudi), who defected to the YSR Congress, Congress leaders say Manohar will not act hastily on Reddy’s resignation also.  

However, some Congress leaders think that  if some more MLAs of the ruling party also put in papers, the government will then be in real danger.

Peddireddi’s resignation might push the Kiran Kumar Reddy government into a further awkward position as already three MLAs have quit to join the YSRC.

Meanwhile, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has made light of the resignation of Ramachandra Reddy. Talking to reporters at the CLP office here on Thursday, G Veera Siva Reddy alleged that Ramachandra Reddy had resigned from his membership of the Assembly only to benefit the YSRC.

“Some seniors in the Congress have reserved their berths in the YSRC by sending their political heirs there. These coverts of Jagan are slowly unmasking their original faces. Same is the case with Ramachandra Reddy,” he said.