As expected, popular Telugu film actor-producer and former Rajya Sabha member Manchu Mohan Babu joined the YSR Congress party on Tuesday, thereby retuning to politics after a gap of nearly two decades.
Mohan Babu, along with his son Manchu Vishnu, met YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at Lotus Pond in Hyderabad and was formally inducted into the party.
Though Jagan cannot offer him the party ticket to contest the ongoing general elections from any constituency right now because the nominations closed on Monday itself, it is learnt the YSRC chief promised to nominate Mohan Babu to Rajya Sabha in 2020.
In fact, Mohan Babu’s daughter Manchu Lakshmi had been evincing interest in politics for quite some time. There were reports that she was promised the Telugu Desam Party ticket to contest the elections from Venkatagiri constituency in Nellore district.
But Vishnu had objected to her joining the TDP as his wife Veronica happened to be the cousin of Jagan and hence, Lakshmi’s contest on TDP ticket would spoil the relations, sources said.
At one stage, Mohan Babu also thought of returning to the TDP and praised TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu a couple of times.
He even took Naidu to his Sri Vidya Niketan group of institutions near Chandragiri. But later, the relationship between the two got strained somehow.
The senior actor admitted that he had got offers to join the TDP and BJP as well.
“But I preferred to join YSRC. I do not expect only posts or positions. I sincerely felt Jagan will do a lot of good for the people like his father. I am confident he will become the next chief minister,” he said adding that he would campaign for the YSRC in the ongoing elections.