Congress MLC to join TRS today

In a major jolt to the Congress, K Damodar Reddy, MLC and close aide of former minister DK Aruna, is likely to join the ruling party TRS in the presence of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad on Saturday. 

Damodar Reddy on Friday hinted towards joining Congress and former MLA Edma Krishna Reddy and some other key Congress workers in Mahbubnagar district are set to follow him.

Earlier, Damodar Reddy had unsuccessfully contested against Nagam Janardhan Reddy as Congress candidate from Nagarkurnool when the latter was in the TDP in the 1999, 2004 and 2009 Assembly polls. Sources reveal that Nagam Janardhan Reddy’s induction into the Congress has made Damodar decide to quit the Congress.

Meanwhile, all the Congress senior leaders led by K Jana Reddy and N Uttam Kumar Reddy held a review meeting to effectively counter the strategies of the TRS leadership ahead of the 2019 polls.

Interestingly, DK Aruna skipped the Friday meeting of Congress leaders giving rise to the speculation that she also might be joining the ruling party. However, it is yet to be confirmed.