Jana Sena Party MLA from Railway Koduru Arava Sreedhar, who has been facing allegations of sexual harassment against a woman government employee and was asked to keep away from party activities, was on Saturday forced to resign from the post of government whip in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.
According to party sources, Sreedhar met party president and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Saturday and submitted his resignation letter, stating that he was stepping down from the whip post for “personal reasons.”
The resignation comes against the backdrop of serious allegations made against the MLA in recent weeks. A married woman from Railway Koduru had released several videos on social media accusing Arava Sreedhar of cheating her after allegedly promising to marry her.
The allegations created a political storm across the Telugu states and triggered widespread debate on social media and in political circles.
In response to the controversy, the Jana Sena Party constituted an internal inquiry committee to examine the allegations. Arava Sreedhar reportedly submitted his explanation before the committee.
However, the issue escalated further after the complainant released additional videos and levelled fresh allegations against the MLA. Political observers believe the continuing controversy eventually led to his decision to resign from the government whip post.
Police have already registered a case in connection with the allegations made by the woman, and an investigation is currently underway. Apart from the personal allegations, Sreedhar has also reportedly been facing criticism over certain political and administrative issues.
Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan also pulled up Polavaram MLA Chirri Balaraju.
According to sources, several complaints and internal reports regarding the MLA’s style of functioning in the Polavaram constituency were brought to the notice of the party leadership.
During the meeting, Pawan Kalyan reportedly sought a direct explanation from the MLA over personal and political issues. Chirri Balaraju is said to have requested some time to resolve his personal and family-related matters.
Responding to the request, Pawan Kalyan reportedly gave him four weeks to set his affairs in order and warned that strict action would follow if there was no improvement.
The Jana Sena chief also expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of government development works in the Polavaram constituency, sources added.
