Congress-BJP battle for supremacy in 3 LS seats

Hyderabad: The fight for supremacy in the three Lok Sabha seats under GHMC limits has peaked with the Congress and BJP taking poll positions. The Congress, which has been resorting to ‘Operation Akarsh’, does not want to give any leverage to the BJP in Chevella, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituencies in 2024 elections.

The Congress party is now trying to rope in seniormost BRS leader and Rajya Sabha MP K Keshav Rao and his daughter Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, who is also the Mayor of the GHMC along with a dozen corporators into party. There were no secret talks.

It was a direct meeting with Keshav Rao and his daughter by TPCC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi and advisor to Revanth Reddy Vem Prashanth Reddy here on Friday. Speculations are rife that KK and Vijayalakshmi are likely to join the Congress party in a couple of days.

Leaders said that the GHMC Mayor was inclined to join the Congress and take up the responsibility of the victory of Congress candidate Danam Nagendar, who would be contesting from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha segment. The corporators on whom the Congress has thrown its net would work for Chevella candidate Ranjit Reddy and Sunitha Mahendar Reddy from Malkajgiri segments. The Congress leadership feels that the BJP candidates in these constituencies were strong and hence it feels that poaching important BRS leaders and corporators would brighten their chances of victory.

In the next phase, the Congress wants to rope in BRS Rajendra Nagar MLA Prakash Goud and a few others. It may be mentioned here that Goud had already met the CM recently. It wants to win over a majority of the BRS MLAs and its senior leaders ahead of the LS elections.

The Chief Minister was planning to hold public meetings in the three Lok Sabha segments and invite the BRS leaders to join the Congress. Sources said that Maheshwaram MLA and former minister Sabita Indra Reddy, Uppal MLA B Lakshma Reddy and LB Nagar MLA Sudhir Reddy would be joining the party soon.