In fulfillment of a pledge made during the election campaign, veteran Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham has officially changed his name after he failed to defeat JanaSena leader Pawan Kalyan in Pithapuram Assembly seat. A notification regarding this change was published in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette.
Mudragada, who recently joined the YSR Congress Party, had issued a challenge to actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, stating that he would alter his surname to 'Reddy' if he failed to defeat him in the Pithapuram Assembly constituency.
However, in the recent elections, Pawan Kalyan emerged victorious in the Pithapuram seat, defeating seasoned politician and former MP Vanga Geetha of the YSR Congress Party by a substantial margin of over 65,000 votes. Consequently, Pawan Kalyan has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister as part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.
Like Pawan Kalyan, Mudragada also hails from the Kapu community and had criticized Pawan Kalyan during the election campaign for his perceived lack of support for the Kapu community's reservation agitation.
Following the election results, Mudragada changed his name to Mudragada Padmanabha Reddy, as reported by IANS.
Mudragada confirmed his name change, expressing his commitment to honoring his word. He also voiced his perplexity regarding the public's response to Jagan Mohan Reddy's government, despite significant welfare initiatives for the impoverished.
However, Mudragada clarified that he will stay with the YSR Congress, as per the report.
In the simultaneous election held in Andhra Pradesh last month, TDP-JanaSena-BJP secured a massive win in the state. The combined alliance bagged 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly.
Pawan Kalyan's JanaSena secured all 21 seats the party contested.
The NDA also secured 21 out of 25 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
The YSRCP faced the elections without any alliance in the state.
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