By all means it can be said that an exodus of sitting MLAs has started from Congress and TDP towards YSR Congress Party. After Congress MLAs Alla Nani and RVSK Ranga Rao defied party bosses by switching loyalties to YSRCP, three more sitting legislators from Congress and TDP have decided to join hands with Jagan Mohan Reddy.

While Congress legislators Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy (Kakinada) and Savara Jayamani (Parvathipuram) called on Vijayamma at Kotauratla in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, TDP MLA Chinnam Ramakotaiah (Nuzvid) created ripples by declaring that he won't contest on TDP ticket in the next elections. Although Ramakotaiah did not reveal his next move, party sources say that his exit from TDP is certain. In effect, the Congress has almost lost four legislators - Nani, Ranga Rao, Dwarampudi and Jayamani - to Jagan's party in the last few days and speculation is rife that at least a dozen are ready to jump the boat by the time YSRCP founder president Vijayamma winds up her campaign for the June 12 byelections.

The speculation is that some more Congress legislators would jump into YSRCP bandwagon in the coming days. Among those who might ride the Jagan ratham include Buchepalli Sivaprasada Reddy (Darsi), A Suresh Babu (Y Palem), C Adinarayana Reddy (Jammalamadugu), B N Vijayakumar (Santhanuthalapadu), P Ramanjaneyulu (Bhimavaram), Rapaka Varaprasada Rao (Rajole), Katasani Ramireddy (Banaganapalle), Janardhana Thatraju (Kurupam), Peedika Rajanna Dora (Saluru), Muthyala Papa (Narsipatnam), T Vijaya Kumar (Visakhapatnam North) and Kannababu Raju (Yelamanchili).

TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu is also jittery as party MLA Bala Nagireddy (Mantralayam) is openly aligned with the Jagan camp, while Ramakotaiah is making serious moves to meet Vijayamma. Naidu made frantic calls to woo Ramakotaiah, but party insiders said it is only a matter of time before he too jumps the fence. Ramakotaiah, a retired engineer in the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH), joined PRP before last general elections. When the PRP denied him the ticket, Naidu hugged him and fielded him from Nuzvid which he won.