Hyderabad: Senior BRS leaders may switch to Congress soon

Hyderabad: With the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leadership indicating ticket allocation to sitting members in constituencies, several senior leaders are leaving the party one after another. Disgruntled leaders are preparing to contest on the Congress ticket in the upcoming Assembly elections.

In wake of the party leadership announcing candidates in constituencies, almost half a dozen leaders have either resigned or made the decision to resign. BRS working president KT Rama Rao has been touring districts and urging people to ensure the victory of candidates in those areas. Padi Kaushik Reddy was the first candidate announced, and the working president has now announced candidates in nearly ten constituencies.

However, this move has caused discontent among leaders who were expecting tickets. Senior leader and former warehousing corporation chairman Mandula Samuels, who was expecting a ticket from Tungaturti, chose to resign after the BRS working president urged voters to ensure the victory of sitting member G Kishore. According to his followers, Samuels is looking to join the Congress party. Similarly, student leader Pidamarti Ravi from Sattupally has also resigned, alleging discrimination within the party over the past nine years. He is among the leaders who joined the Congress along with Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday.

BRS leaders from Yellandu constituency, such as Koram Kanakaiah and K Damodar Reddy from Mahabubnagar, along with Rekha Naik and a few others, are also considering leaving the party. Kanakaiah, who was the MLA during the first term, lost to B Haripriya Naik of Congress, who later joined BRS. Since then, the former Bhadradri Kothagudem Zilla Parishad Chairman has been absent from party meetings and recently resigned. MLC Damodar Reddy’s son Rajesh Reddy has already joined Congress, and sources suggest that the MLC may soon follow suit. There are speculations of a potential change in Khanapur constituency, with rumours that KTR's friend Johnson Rathod Naik may be given the ticket this time. However, the MLA has stated that she will be the candidate and Johnson will have a different role.