Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council former deputy chairman and YSRCP MLC Zakia Khanam joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of state unit chief D. Purandeswari and minister Satya Kumar Yadav.
Khanam, a Muslim leader from Rayachoti in Rayalaseema, reportedly resigned from the Council membership, chairmanship and also Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party earlier.
Last year, Khanam was booked in a case of illegally selling Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy temple VIP break darshan tickets to a family from Bengaluru, allegedly for Rs 65,000. Ministers and legislators in AP are entitled to a monthly quota of the much sought after early morning VIP break darshan tickets, given on their recommendation for Rs 500 per head.
Acting on a complaint from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) vigilance wing, the police registered a case against Khanam, her PRO Krishna Teja and another person, in October. BJP leaders including Bhanu Prakash Reddy, a TTD board member, had sought her arrest at that time.
The YSRCP had then disassociated from the controversy, with Botcha Satyanarayana, the opposition leader in the Council, saying that Khanam was no longer with the party.
Like several other YSRCP leaders and legislators, Khanam was keeping away from the party affairs since its humiliating defeat in the 2024 general and assembly elections. She joins the likes of MLCs Karri Padma Sree (nominated), Jayamangala Venkata Ramana, Pothula Suneetha, Balli Kalyanchakravarthy, and Marri Raja Sekhar who resigned from the YSRCP.
“Our leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, out of sympathy after her husband Afzal Ali Khan’s death, not only made her an MLC but also placed her in the deputy chairman seat. But lacking an iota of gratitude, Khanam ditched the party in its hard times, when it’s out of power,” YSRCP’s Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy told ThePrint.
A homemaker till then, Khanam was nominated by the Jagan government to the Council under the Governor’s quota in July 2020.
On the BJP accepting Khanam, who was accused in Tirupati temple darshan tickets black marketing, Maddila said, “I leave it to their wisdom.”
YSRCP sources said that she had earlier attempted to join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) but was rejected because of the temple tickets episode.
On Wednesday, while joining the BJP party at Vijayawada office, Khanam said that she was inspired by PM Narendra Modi’s strong leadership, impartial approach, “implementing equal rights for everyone.”
“Modi is the only PM who gave a bharosa to Muslim women. I have joined the BJP to send out a strong message from our community,” Khanam told reporters.
Purandeswari said that there is no place for “caste-religion” in their party and reiterated that the Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas continues to be their motto. “The trust, affection the minorities have towards BJP is yet again proved by Khanam’s joining us,” the Rajahmundry MP said.
However, a senior BJP leader expressed his dismay over Khanam’s inclusion in the party. “She was accused in the Tirumala temple tickets sale for profit. The benefit Khanam, a nominated MLC, brings to the party is also doubtful,” the BJP functionary told ThePrint
Nevertheless, Khanam’s exit delivers another blow to Jagan’s party suffering defections since its massive defeat last summer. Though its strength fell from 151 to 11 in the assembly, the YSRCP retains domination in the Council. The party’s official strength in the House is 32 out of 58, as chairman Moshenu Raju sits on the resignation letters of several YSRCP MLCs.
The BJP welcomed Khanam at a time when the YSRCP has been rallying in support of Muslims, its strong vote base in Andhra Pradesh, over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. In April, the YSRCP approached the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf Act on the grounds that its contents violate the provisions under the Constitution.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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