Several Bharat Rashtra Samithi leaders including Vikarabad Zilla Parishad chairperson Sunitha Mahender Reddy, Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy who is the father-in-law of actor Allu Arjun, former Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) mayor Bonthu Rammohan and his wife Bonthu Sridevi, and Banoth Ramana Naik joined the Congress on Friday. The programme took place in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Deepa Das Munshi, at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad.
As the Lok Sabha polls draw nearer, more and more leaders are switching from the BRS to the Congress. Sunitha and Rammohan will be reportedly awarded tickets from the Chevella and Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively. After a drubbing in last year’s assembly elections, the BRS has seen a steady migration of leaders to the winning party. Right now, after a CAG expose on glaring irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, BRS’s public image has taken a beating. Many are speculating how the party is going to stay afloat after both its national and regional plans of expansion have been dashed. The party is relying heavily on the Lok Sabha elections to do some damage control.
Earlier this month, former GHMC deputy mayor Baba Fasiuddin joined the Congress. He took an active part in the Telangana agitation and had been part of the BRS (then TRS) for more than 20 years. He was also a close aide of BRS working president K Taraka Rama Rao. After he joined the Congress, the present GHMC deputy mayor, Mothe Srilatha Reddy, met chief minister Revanth Reddy along with her husband, BRS trade union leader Shoban Reddy. She too is likely to join the ruling party soon.
Apart from these, two prominent leaders from the pink party — Peddapalli MP Borlakunta Venkatesh Netha and former deputy chief minister T Rajaiah — joined the Congress. Both these leaders were with the Congress before they joined the BRS. Another BRS leader who jumped ship is Manne Jeevan Reddy.
Besides these, four BRS MLAs — K Prabhakar Reddy (Dubbaka), V Sunitha Laxma Reddy (Narsapur), G Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), and Manik Rao (Zaheerabad) — had met the CM and called it a courtesy call. However, it did give rise to speculation that they too are in negotiations with the ruling party.
A week ago, BJP state unit president Kishan Reddy also extended an invitation to the BRS cadre to join the saffron party.
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