Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), recognized for its aggressive recruitment of legislators from numerous events throughout its two phrases since 2014, is now going through a wave of defections in Telangana.
BRS leaders have approached meeting Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar searching for the disqualification of MLAs defecting, below the anti-defection legislation.
The ruling Congress has criticised the transfer, highlighting “the BRS’ moral bankruptcy of having engineered defections of 39 Opposition MLAs — from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Congress, the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) the Communist Party of India (CPI) as well as Independents — during its rule”.
Notably, the variety of seats the BRS received within the November meeting elections matched the variety of defectors (39) who joined the occasion over its final two phrases. Nevertheless, prior to now 4 weeks, the occasion has seen three of its newly-elected MLAs swap allegiance to the Congress.
This shift adopted an announcement by chief minister and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee or (TPCC) chief Revanth Reddy in mid-March, declaring that the Telangana Congress is welcoming leaders from different events, together with MLAs.
Since February, two months after its electoral defeat in early December, the BRS has misplaced 5 of its eight Lok Sabha MPs to the Congress (3) and the Bharatiya Janata Get together (2), with the Medak seat turning into vacant after a BRS MP was elected to the meeting.
These are among the distinguished figures who’ve joined the Congress forward of the Lok Sabha elections. Polling within the state shall be held on 13 Might.
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Keshava Rao
The previous Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief, Okay. Keshava Rao, shifted his allegiance again to the Congress within the final week of March. Rao, the BRS Rajya Sabha MP, was the occasion’s secretary normal and Okay. Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR’s) adviser on nationwide affairs.
His daughter and Hyderabad mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi additionally joined the Congress within the presence of CM Revanth Reddy and AICC Telangana in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi on 30 March.
Whereas Rao has not received any ticket and his defection could not yield vital electoral advantages, his swap bolsters Revanth Reddy’s narrative of a weakening BRS, which he (Revanth) claimed is “a sinking ship”, and will immediate additional defections. Vijayalaxmi’s transfer will doubtlessly assist improve the Congress’s vote share within the Hyderabad capital space.
Kadiyam Srihari
A former deputy chief minister and sitting Station Ghanpur MLA, Kadiyam Srihari, who was earlier with the TDP, alongside together with his daughter and BRS nominee for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat, Kadiyam Kavya, joined the Congress on 24 March.
Kavya is now the Congress candidate for a similar seat.
Srihari, who’s from the Schedule Caste group, has some maintain within the constituency (Warangal Lok Sabha), which might increase the Congress’s prospects. Nevertheless, the chief is going through resistance from some native leaders.
Danam Nagender
Danam Nagender, the Khairatabad MLA, rejoined the Congress on 17 March. A former Congressman and a senior MLA, he additionally served as a minister within the Congress governments of united Andhra Pradesh.
Nagender is now the Congress candidate for the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat, difficult Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.
Nagender, who belongs to an Different Backward Lessons (OBC) group, has appreciable affect in some pockets of Hyderabad, a area the place the Congress fared badly within the meeting polls. His entry is predicted to assist the occasion within the metropolis.
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Ranjith Reddy
A businessman-turned-politician, Ranjith Reddy, the sitting Chevella BRS MP, joined the Congress together with Danam Nagender on 17 March.
Reddy was slated to be renominated because the BRS candidate from Chevella — a section adjoining Hyderabad with a mixture of IT firms, high-end residential communities in addition to rural areas.
He’s now the Congress candidate from Chevella going through former BRS MP and the BJP candidate, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy.
A victory for both the Congress or BJP within the Chevella seat signifies a decline in BRS’s stronghold.
Patnam Suneetha Mahender Reddy
The BRS Vikarabad Zilla Parishad chairperson, Suneetha Reddy, spouse of BRS MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy, joined the Congress in February within the presence of her husband and AICC Telangana in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi.
Patnam Mahender Reddy, sitting MLC and a former minister within the BRS authorities, is himself shifting within the Congress circles, attending conferences, and taking part in an lively function in strengthening the occasion by bringing in additional leaders.
Suneetha Reddy is the Congress candidate from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat.
The Congress desires to retain the Malkajgiri seat, one of many Lok Sabha segments in Hyderabad which elected Revanth Reddy in 2019. Patnam Mahender Reddy might assist steer a victory by shoring up leaders and votes of the BRS.
Tellam Venkat Rao
In one of many newest defections, the lone BRS Bhadrachalam MLA from the Khammam area, Tellam Venkat Rao, joined the Congress on 7 April within the presence of CM Revanth Reddy.
Rao, nevertheless, has not been given any ticket. His addition to the Congress offers the occasion whole domination in Khammam, an space adjoining Andhra Pradesh. The occasion is but to announce its candidate right here.
Venkatesh Netha
The BRS Peddapalli MP, Venkatesh Netha, who was with the Congress earlier, rejoined the occasion in February. He, nevertheless, has not received the occasion ticket.
Some stories claimed that Netha is more likely to be a part of the BJP and shall be its Peddapalli candidate.
Pasunoori Dayakar
A two-time BRS Warangal MP, Pasunoori Dayakar joined the Congress in March. Regardless of his transfer, he has not been allotted an electoral ticket.
Taking within the two sitting MPs (Pasunoori Dayakar and Venkatesh Netha) sad with BRS management denying them tickets, the Congress desires to strengthen its prospects within the Peddapalli and Warangal seats.
In the meantime, two different BRS MPs — Pothuganti Ramulu and B.B. Patil — have defected to the BJP between February and March. Patil has been named the BJP’s candidate for his present constituency, Zaheerabad, whereas Pothuganti Bharat Prasad, the son of MP Ramulu, has been nominated by the BJP to contest from his father’s constituency, Nagarkurnool.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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