YSRCP leader V Vijayasai Reddy on Saturday resigned as a member of Rajya Sabha and announced he was quitting politics due to "personal reasons", the fourth party MP to short-terminate their terms in the Upper House since its rout in the 2024 Assembly elections.
He met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at his residence and submitted his resignation.
Reddy, a chartered accountant by profession who represented Andhra Pradesh in the House, later told reporters he still had three-and-half-years left in his second six-year term, but he was resigning due to personal reasons.
He said he would be focussing on agriculture and delivering guest lectures at universities henceforth.
"I have submitted my resignation to the vice president and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and he has accepted it," Reddy told reporters after meeting Dhankhar.
"I, hereby, voluntarily resign from my seat in the Rajya Sabha with immediate effect as a member representing Andhra Pradesh from the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress party (YSRCP). Requesting you to kindly accept my resignation," his short resignation letter to the VP stated.
The Rajya Sabha later notified Reddy's resignation.
"Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy, an elected Member of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), representing the State of Andhra Pradesh, resigned his seat in the Rajya Sabha and his resignation has been accepted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha w.e.f, 25th January, 2025," Rajya Sabha Secretary-General P C Mody said in the notification.
In a post on X, Reddy also shared pictures of his meeting with the vice president "Today, I submitted my resignation to the Hon'ble Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji. Hon'ble Chairman of Rajya Sabha is pleased to accept the resignation with immediate effect duly recording the proceedings," he posted.
Reddy said that before accepting his resignation, the vice president asked him specifically what are the reasons he was submitting his papers, and if it was voluntary or is there any coercion or undue influence.
"I have explained to the chairman that my resignation is voluntary, spontaneous and there is no coercion, pressure or no undue influence and I have given my resignation only due to personal reasons," he said.
Asked whether he had spoken to YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said, "Yes, I have spoken to my party president Jagan Mohan Reddy Garu yesterday. I have explained to him in detail the reasons why I have taken the decision to quit politics. And he has advised me not to do so.
"Despite the fact that he asked me not to do so, I have continued with my decision and I have submitted my resignation. And I will be quitting politics," he added.
On his future plans, Reddy said his interests are is agriculture and giving guest lectures in various universities and sharing his knowledge with the youth and students.
"I am a chartered accountant and I have wide experience in capital markets and I have reasonably good experience in Parliament. The limited knowledge that I have gained in my 67 years of life, I would like to share it with others, because obtaining knowledge is one thing and giving knowledge to others is also equally important," he said.
On the need for resigning now when he has some years of his term left, Reddy said, "I have sincerely felt that I am not in a position to do justice to the job that has been given to me by my party president and in the light of this I have submitted my resignation." Reddy had announced on Friday that he would be resigning as Rajya Sabha MP and would be quitting politics.
This was his second term as Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh. He is the fourth YSRCP Rajya Sabha member to resign from the party after its rout in the 2024 Assembly elections.
YSRCP Rajya Sabha members M Venkata Ramana, B Mastan Rao Yadav and BC leader R Krishnaiah resigned in the recent past.
Krishnaiah and Yadav subsequently joined the BJP and TDP, respectively, and retained their seats in the Rajya Sabha by-elections.
After Reddy's exit, the seat is expected to go to the ruling NDA in AP in the imminent by-election, owing to its overwhelming majority.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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