LS speaker may accept resignations of YSR Cong MPs

The suspense over the continuation of five YSR Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha will soon end as Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is likely to accept their resignations from the House after they met her and ruled out any rethink on their decision

Sources said Mahajan wanted a fresh reiteration from the MPs on their resignation, to which all of them submitted a letter suggesting that they stand by their April six letter to her. The five MPs – V Vara Prasada Rao, YV Subba Reddy, P V Midhun Reddy, Y S Avinash Reddy and Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy met Mahajan on Wednesday.

"We met the Speaker. We reiterated our resignation. She asked us to submit a letter reiterating our resignation. We have submitted it. She said she will be accepting our letters after looking into it," Midhun Reddy told DH.

In his fresh letter, Midhun Reddy said he had submitted the resignation on April 6 on proper format. "I wish to submit that I cannot take back my resignation and I insist that my resignation be accepted forthwith. I, hereby, reconfirm and committed to my resignation and request you to accept it without any further delay," he said.

If the Speaker accepts their resignation from April 6, the Election Commission will have to conduct bypolls in these seats but if it is considered with effect from Wednesday, the EC has the option of not holding the election as the seat became vacant only within the last year of this Lok Sabha.

YSR Congress rival TDP termed the developments as a "match-fixing" between the Y S Jaganmohan Reddy-led party and the BJP.

"This is drama to fool the people. It is match-fixing between the YSR Congress and BJP. They resigned on April 6 and now under Representation of People's Act, there is no need to conduct the bypoll," TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas told reporters.