Ponguleti's big switch to BJP on the cards

Hyderabad: The stage is set for Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy to join BJP ahead of the proposed mammoth public meeting of the BRS party at Khammam on January 18. It now remains to be seen whether Srinivas Reddy will make it a big show by taking around 300 of his followers with him to New Delhi as is being planned or not. Reddy will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the day BRS would be holding its public meeting in Khammam.

Though officially it is being said that KCR did not discuss the issue of Reddy and some others quitting the party at the meeting he held with party leaders at Pragati Bhavan on Monday to discuss the arrangements for the January 19 meeting, it is learnt that he had taken stock of the impact of their exit and the measures that need to be taken.

Srinivas Reddy would be leading a contingent of leaders, including former MLA from Pinapaka Payam Venkateswarlu, former MLA from Illendu K Kanakaiah, Matta Dayanand from Sattupally, Bhadrachalam in-charge T Venkata Rao and Pedamarthi Ravi.

It may be mentioned here that Khammam district has always been a challenge for the pink party as it could not register a big win from here. It had won one seat in 2014 and 2018 though there was a wave in its favour across the state. The district also has too many power centres.

Three leaders Srinivas Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao and Minister P Ajay Kumar and other leaders are locked in the battle for supremacy in the district.