BRS MLAs' switch hinges on LS election result?

Hyderabad: The claims of minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy that 25 BRS MLAs would be joining the Congress party after the Lok Sabha results get declared has led to a discussion within the party as the leaders speculate that those coming from other parties may switch loyalties.

There has been a war of words between the Congress and BRS leaders on the MLAs trying to shift loyalties after the Lok Sabha elections. BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao had claimed that one senior leader who left the party wanted to return back claiming that 20 MLAs also want to join the BRS. Responding to this, minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said the BRS may not get more than two seats in the State and 25 MLAs of that party were looking to join Congress and they would join on June 5, a day after the results of the Lok Sabha elections.

This had led to a discussion in the party as the leaders speculated as to who would be keen to join the Congress. A senior leader of the party said that the BRS leaders would be treading with caution on shifting loyalties. He said that a lot would be depending on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections. If the party can get more than six seats, the MLAs are unlikely to desert the party and if the performance is poor, there may be some chances, the BRS leader said.

A former MLC opined that the leaders who are traditionally from the TRS/BRS would not look at other parties and only those who have joined from other parties would be looking to desert the party. Giving an example, the BRS leader said that the leaders like A Indrakaran Reddy, who came from BSP (he is originally from Congress) left the party. Similarly, many have joined BRS from Congress and Telugu Desam and given a chance they may look to shift, the BRS leader opined.

The BRS had faced a defeat in the Assembly elections, winning just 39 seats. Already, three of its MLAs have joined the Congress party and these three were not originally from the TRS/BRS. There are leaders who have roots in Congress and TDP, and party leaders speculate that they may shift their loyalties.