Stung by denial of ticket by TRS, Jithender Reddy set to join BJP

Hyderabad: Mahabubnagar sitting MP A P Jithender Reddy, who was denied re-nomination by the TRS ticket is all set to join the saffron party.

According to the party sources, after one-and-a-half hour parleys between the BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and the TRS MP on Monday night, the later has agreed to shift his loyalty and join the BJP.

According to the BJP sources as part of the negotiations between the two leaders Jithender Reddy tabled two demands before Ram Madhav that he should be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, besides, a key position in the State BJP party.

It may be mentioned here that Jithender Reddy has been denied ticket by the TRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao following the allegation against him that he worked against the party candidates during the State Assembly elections.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior party leader said Jithender Reddy was to join the party before the announcement of the party nominees for the 17 Lok Sabha seats.

The saffron party had delayed the second list of its candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats till March 24, expecting the joining of Jithender Reddy and G Viveknanda.

But, the TRS had reportedly offered him to contest from the Malkajgiri against his demand for re-nomination from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha seat.

It was against this backdrop that Jithender Reddy has decided to join the BJP with an assurance that he should be nominated to Rajya Sabha from any of the BJP-ruling States.

Jithender Reddy won Mahbubnagar parliamentary seat against his nearest Congress rival and former Union Minister Jaipal Reddy with a slight margin in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier, he was also elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from the Mahabubnagar LS constituency on BJP ticket in 1999.