Guntur, July 9: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been elected the lifetime president of the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP).
YSRCP general secretary V. Vijaysai Reddy, who was the returning officer for the election of the party president, announced the unanimous election of Jagan Mohan Reddy as the lifetime president of the party.
A total of 22 sets of nominations were filed on behalf of Jagan Mohan Reddy by YSRCP leaders on Friday. No other leader filed nomination for the post.
YSRCP leaders on the dais congratulated Jagan Reddy on his election. The participants in the plenary hailed the announcement with loud cheers and slogans.
The YSRCP will now move the Election Commission of India (ECI) to convey that it has modified its constitution for Jagan Reddy’s election as the YSRCP president for his lifetime.
The party leaders are confident of getting ECI’s nod. They cited the case of DMK, which was allowed by the Election Commission to name M. Karunanidhi as the party chief for life.
Jagan Mohan Reddy had floated YSRCP in 2011 after resigning from Congress party to carry forward the ideals of his late father and former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR).
After the death of YSR in a helicopter crash in September 2009, Jagan Reddy had raised the banner of revolt against Congress party by embarking on a yatra to console the families of those who died of shock following his father’s death.
Jagan Reddy and his mother Y.S. Vijayamma had resigned from Congress and quit Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats respectively to float YSRCP.
Vijayamma, who has been serving as the honorary president of YSRCP since its inception, announced her resignation from the post on the first day of the plenary on Friday. She said she would like to stand by her daughter Y.S. Sharmila, who has launched a separate political party in Telangana.