Andhra Pradesh: Three YSR Congress Party former MLAs join Pawan Kalyan's JSP

Udaya Bhanu was a former YSRCP whip in the Legislative Assembly, while Srinivasa Reddy was a former Minister for Energy in the YSRCP government.

Pawan Kalyan on Thursday welcomed the former MLAs into the party and exhorted them to strengthen the party by propagating its ideology to the grass-roots level and strive to solve people's problems.

The defection of the former MLAs is a setback for the YSRCP, which got a drubbing in the recent Assembly election where it secured only 11 seats in a 175-member Assembly.

JSP fought the election in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party and the BJP. The Telugu Desam Party won 135 seats, the JSP won 21 seats and the BJP got eight seats in the Assembly election.

The developments also came amid the accusations against YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy that during his tenure as the Chief Minister of the state, the ghee used in the preparation of Tirupati laddoo prasadam, offered at Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Tirupati, contained animal fat.

On September 22, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations.

"We are forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising officers of IGP and above posts. The SIT will submit a report to the government and we will take action based on that report so that such things are not repeated," Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu further stated, " I am taking three angles, first, purification, according to traditions. I am ordering an inquiry at the IGP level. Only those who have beliefs will be there in the management committee. Finally, we will prepare standard operating procedures for all the temples."

However, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister was playing diversion tactics to cover non-deliverance of its promises. (ANI)