Bad omen for BRS as more leaders look to jump ship

Warangal: It appears that the BRS that once ruled the roost in Warangal district is in the doldrums with its leaders defecting to the Congress and a few others to the BJP. Prior to the 2023 elections, the BRS held 11 of the 12 seats in the erstwhile Warangal district. It won just two Assembly seats – Station Ghanpur and Jangaon – in 2023 polls.

Warangal also enjoyed a lion’s share in the nominated posts; however, the defeat in the Assembly elections gradually casting its shadow on the BRS. Soon after the elections, several leaders switched their loyalties to before the Congress. Some of them are… Sitting Warangal MP Pasunuri Dayakar, Kadiyam Srihari, Greater Warangal Mayor Gundu Sudharani and DCCB chairman Marneni Ravinder Rao. Wardhannapet two-time former MLA Aroori Ramesh also left the BRS. He joined the BJP and was in the fray for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat.

Against this backdrop, speculations are rife that MLC Baswaraj Saraiah is also moving his steps towards the Congress. The speculation comes in the wake of Saraiah’s very recent meeting with his political guru Ramasahayam Surender Reddy. Although it’s said that Saraiah met Surender Reddy as a courtesy and nothing more, it’s speculated that Saraiah is likely to defect after the Lok Sabha polls, sources say.

Although the news broke out a couple of months ago, it remained a speculation. Joining the Congress is a sort of homecoming for Saraiah. The three-time former MLA who also worked as a minister in the Congress Government in the united Andhra Pradesh is a mass leader in Warangal.