Jolt to YSRCP as Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Zakia Khanam quits

IANS May 14, 2025 249 views

The YSRCP has faced another significant leadership challenge with Zakia Khanam's resignation from the Legislative Council. Khanam, a pioneering Muslim woman who served as Deputy Chairperson, joins five other MLCs in leaving the party since their electoral defeat. Her exit underscores growing internal tensions within the YSRCP and mounting criticism of Jagan Mohan Reddy's leadership. Despite these resignations, the party maintains a majority in the 57-member Council.

"Another setback for the YSR Congress Party" - News Report
Amaravati, May 14: In another setback for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Zakia Khanam on Wednesday resigned from the Council and the party.

Key Points

1

Sixth MLC to resign from YSRCP since election defeat

2

First Muslim woman Deputy Chairperson leaves party

3

YSRCP strength reduced in Legislative Council

4

Resignations reflect leadership dissatisfaction

She sent her resignation as MLC to Council chairperson Koyye Moshen Raju.

Khanam, who was nominated to the Council under the Governor's quota in July 2020, hails from Rayachoti in Annamayya district.

She was the first Muslim woman to become the MLC and also the first woman Deputy Chairperson of the council.

Khanam is the sixth MLC to quit YSRCP since the party lost power to the TDP-led NDA in June last year.

Earlier, Balli Kalyan Chakravarthy, Karri Padmasri, Pothula Suneetha, Marri Rajasekhar and Jayamangala Venkataramana resigned from the Council. They all cited dissatisfaction with the party's functioning as the reason for their resignation.

Council Chairman Moshen Raju has yet to accept any of the resignations. They repeatedly urged the chairman to accept their resignations and even staged protests over the delay in accepting their resignations.

With Zakia Khanam's exit, YSRCP's strength in the 57-member Council has decreased further, even though it still enjoys a majority. The resigning leaders claim they are leaving due to disagreements with Jagan Mohan Reddy's leadership and policies.

The YSRCP has 31 members in the Council even after the resignation of six MLCs. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has 10 members, while its coalition partners BJP and Jana Sena, have one member each. Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) has four MLCs.

A spate of resignations has hit Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP since its crushing defeat in the Assembly elections.

The party, which had won 151 seats in the 175-member Assembly in 2019, was reduced to just 11 seats in the elections held in May last year.

Several leaders have quit the YSRCP.

Those who have resigned include four Rajya Sabha members. In January, Jagan Mohan Reddy's close aide and Rajya Sabha member Vijaya Sai Reddy resigned from the upper house of the Parliament and the party.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rahul K.
This is concerning for YSRCP's future. When senior leaders keep resigning, it shows deep dissatisfaction within the party. Jagan Mohan Reddy needs to introspect why so many are leaving after just one election defeat. Strong leadership requires listening to all voices.
P
Priya M.
Zakia Khanam was a trailblazer as first Muslim woman Deputy Chairperson. Her resignation is a loss for diversity in AP politics. Hope she continues her public service in some other capacity 🤝
S
Suresh T.
Why is the Chairman delaying accepting resignations? This is undemocratic. If leaders want to quit, they should be allowed to. Holding them hostage helps no one. AP politics needs more transparency.
A
Anjali R.
From 151 seats to just 11 - that's a massive fall for YSRCP! The writing was on the wall when even Jagan's close aide Vijaya Sai Reddy resigned. Maybe time for complete leadership overhaul?
V
Vikram P.
Political parties should have better systems to address internal disagreements. When experienced leaders like Khanam leave citing "dissatisfaction with functioning", it reflects poorly on party democracy. Hope other parties learn from this.
K
Kavita S.
Interesting that most resigning MLCs are from different backgrounds - shows discontent cuts across communities. Hope media focuses more on their policy disagreements rather than making it about identity politics. Andhra needs issue-based debate.

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Tags:
Zakia Khanam YSRCP Jagan Mohan Reddy Andhra Pradesh Politics Legislative Council