Vijayawada: Prominent Kapu activist and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Mudragada Padmanabham has officially changed his name to Mudragada Padmanabham Reddy, as formalized through a Gazette notification on Thursday.
Mudragada, who joined YSRCP in March, had vowed to adopt the surname ‘Reddy’ if he failed to defeat Pawan Kalyan in the recent elections. Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, chief of the Jana Sena Party, won the Pithapuram seat in Kakinada district, defeating senior politician and former MP Vanga Geetha of YSRCP by 70,279 votes. Jana Sena candidates secured a 100% success rate in the elections, with all 21 MLA and 2 MP candidates emerging victorious.
Both Mudragada and Pawan Kalyan are from the Kapu community. During the campaign, Mudragada criticized Pawan Kalyan for not supporting the Kapu community’s demand for reservations, accusing him of exploiting Kapu sentiments for political gain. Mudragada’s remarks led to criticism from his own family and Pawan Kalyan’s supporters.
Following the election results, Mudragada honored his pledge to change his name but announced he would continue supporting YSRCP and work towards making YS Jagan Mohan Reddy the chief minister.
