Five YSR Congress Members of Parliament (MPs) resigned from Lok Sabha on Friday. YSR Congress has been trying to move a no-confidence motion against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government in the Budget session. However, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not take up the issue. BJP’s former ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress have been demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.

On Friday, YSR MPs — V Vara Prasada Rao, YV Subba Reddy, PV Midhun Reddy, YS Avinash Reddy and Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy — submitted their one-line resignation letters to Mahajan. The resignation letters do not specify a reason for the same. “I hereby tender my resignation of my seat in the house with immediate effect,” all five parliamentarians wrote in their letters.

Both houses – Upper and the Lower – on Friday were adjourned sine die as the Budget session comes to an end. However, present Parliament session was completely washed out amidst protests by the Opposition parties. The governing BJP and its Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar failed to resolve the deadlock in both houses. So much so that even BJP’s ally TDP had to part ways from the National Democratic Alliance during this session. TDP, too, tried to move the no-confidence motion against the BJP government – but was not taken up by the Lok Sabha speaker.

Earlier on Thursday, five MPs of Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress made it clear that they will resign from their seats and sit on a hunger strike. “After the house is adjourned sine die tomorrow (Friday), all five of us will tender our resignation and sit on an indefinite hunger strike at Andhra Bhawan till our demand is met,” V Vara Prasada Rao had said. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party is also putting moral pressure on the TDP MPs to follow their path and resign from the Lok Sabha.