Telangana Elections 2023: BRS rebels give Congress a pre-poll boost

Hyderabad: Buoyed by the victory in the Karnataka elections, the Congress has stepped up efforts to strengthen its base in Telangana by wooing dissident leaders of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). With 5-6 months to go for the assembly elections in Telangana, the party has gained a huge lead over the BJP, whose aggressive pitch conceded defeat with the results of the Karnataka elections.

Political observers say that with the recent joining of leaders from the BRS and other parties, the Congress has begun to emerge as the main challenger to the BRS, which may face an anti-incumbency wave after two terms in power. . During the last few days, the Congress has also been successful in wooing the rebel BRS leaders who earlier preferred the BJP.

According to political analysts, several leaders had made up their mind after the Karnataka results and the party’s central and state leadership also made sustained efforts through regular talks. As the elections approach, the Congress can attract more leaders to its fold. Analyst Palavai Raghavendra Reddy said, “Many disgruntled leaders from the BRS and even the BJP are likely to join the Congress. Even those who left the Congress a few years back may come back.” Are.”

He believes that the Congress remains a formidable force in the state despite defeats in the 2014 and 2018 elections, defections, poor performance in by-elections and infighting in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and in the state.

Unlike the BJP, whose presence is confined to a few districts, the Congress still has a strong presence across the state. Senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir said, “Some leaders may have gone, but party workers are still active on the ground.” The Congress seems to have got a major breakthrough with former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao reportedly making up their minds to join the Congress.

Both the leaders were suspended by the BRS in April for anti-party activities and the BJP is making serious efforts to woo them to join its fold. The failure of the BJP in its efforts became evident when its MLA Eatala Rajender, who headed the party’s joining committee, surrendered. The former minister, who held a few rounds of talks with both the leaders, revealed that both the leaders tried to persuade him to join hands to oust the BRS from power.

Rajendra, who appointed Chief Minister K.K. Chandrasekhar Rao had quit the BRS to join the BJP in 2021 after being dropped from the state cabinet, and some other leaders are reportedly unhappy with the functioning of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Reports of dissension in the BJP ranks also surfaced following the party’s defeat in the Karnataka elections, and this is believed to have affected the party’s efforts to woo BRS dissidents.

Srinivasa Reddy is set to join the Congress party in the presence of Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting to be held in Khammam later this month. The party is trying to mobilize three lakh people for the meeting. This will be a big boost for the Congress as Srinivasa Reddy is considered an influential leader in Khammam and adjoining districts.

Congress Telangana president A Revanth Reddy held talks with Srinivas Reddy on June 17 and the two leaders reportedly spoke to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi over phone. The Congress is said to have acceded to Srinivas Reddy’s demand of giving tickets to its supporters on eight of the 10 assembly seats in the erstwhile Khammam district.

Of these 10 seats, the Congress had won seven and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) two in the 2018 elections. BRS could win only one seat. However, five Congress MLAs later joined the BRS. Srinivasa Reddy, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Khammam in 2014 on a YSR Congress Party ticket, later joined the TRS (now BRS). He alleged that the BRS leadership made several promises but did not fulfill them.

He was unhappy after KCR denied him a party ticket for the 2018 assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He raised the flag of rebellion after he was not invited to the January 18 public meeting organized by the BRS in Khammam. This was the first meeting of BRS after the name change.

Another important joining in the party will be that of former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao. Harshavardhan Reddy, the MLA who defeated him in Kollapur constituency in Mahabubnagar district in 2018, felt sidelined in the BRS after switching his loyalty from the Congress to the BRS after the assembly polls. A few months ago, Krishna Rao challenged Harsha Vardhan Reddy to a debate on the development of the constituency.

It will be a homecoming for Krishna Rao, who resigned from the Congress in 2011 to join the TRS. He was elected from Kollapur in 2014 on TRS ticket. His induction is expected to increase the Congress presence in Kollapur and Wanaparthy regions.

Some other BRS leaders from Mahbubnagar are also likely to join Congress. Telangana Legislative Council member Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy is likely to join the Congress by the end of this month.

Five-time MLA from Kodangal Gurunath Reddy is also expected to join the Congress. Revanth Reddy, who hails from Mahbubnagar district, wants to consolidate his position as TPCC chief by holding talks with leaders of other parties in the district to persuade them to join the Congress.

On June 15, the Congress got a big relief when two senior BRS leaders joined it. Kuchadi Srihari Rao from Nirmal constituency, which is represented by Forest Minister A.K. Indrakaran Reddy, along with his supporters, joined the Congress. Another senior leader Nomula Prakash Rao, who was earlier in TDP and later in BRS, joined Congress.

Revanth Reddy claims that these pairings reflect the growing power of the Congress. He is confident that Congress will come to power in Telangana. “Four crore people of Telangana are bearing the brunt of BRS excesses and misrule and are waiting for an opportunity to oust the KCR government,” he said. He claimed that these are not just manipulations but a wave that will consume the anti-people BRS government.