Many leaders on BJP Operation Akarsh list

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS leadership is keeping a close watch on the movements of its 'sulking' leaders following BJP claiming a large number of leaders from TRS, TDP and Congress would be joining the saffron party on Sunday at a public meeting to be attended by BJP working president JP Nadda.

Strong speculations are doing rounds that several senior TRS leaders who were not given posts and tickets to contest in the recently held Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are looking for greener pastures to safeguard their political career in the next five years.

Some of the leaders are of the strong view that BJP is a right alternative for them. The state BJP has been claiming that about 20,000 activists from various parties would be joining them.

But parties like TRS and TDP say that this was a mind game being played by BJP.

However, not willing to take any chance, TRS leadership is said to have got in touch with the disappointed senior leaders' and TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had already spoken to some such leaders and assured them of plum posts after the municipal elections.

But state BJP leaders continue to claim that good number of second rung TRS leaders were in touch with them.

After the BJP came to power at the Centre for the second term, the party leadership in Telangana has intensified its efforts to consolidate the party position and emerge as a strong political alternative to TRS by poaching TRS, Congress and TDP leaders.

State leaders in the TDP have already joined the BJP. During his first term of the government, KCR poached majority of the senior TDP leaders including T Nageswara Rao and Kadiam Srihari, the party is on the brink of extinction in Telangana.

In the latest operation Akarsh, TDP leaders T Devendar Goud and his son Veerendar Goud, former TDP leader M Narsimhulu and former Deputy CM and senior Congress leader Damodar Raja Narasimha are among the other leaders who are likely to join BJP. TPCC state Campaign Committee Convenor Vijayashanti's name also figured in this list but she denied it.