Kavuri to join BJP, Rayapati TDP

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Former Union Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao is mulling to join the BJP soon. Rao, who has been sulking ever since the T Bill was passed, was made to meet AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and another leader Digvijyay Singh.

The Union Minister took the initiative to organise this meeting to try and stall the exit of Rao. However, Rao seems to have finally decided to quit the party and called on the BJP national president Rajnath Singh. He is likely to join the saffron party in a few days. Kavuri in fact wanted to join the TDP. He even organised a meeting of his party workers at Eluru and gave them a questionnaire seeking their opinion on which party he should join. A majority of the workers suggested that he should join TDP. But Kavuri had to change his mind as there was intense opposition to his entry from the local TDP cadre.

Recently, former Union Ministers U V Krishnam Raju and D Purandeswari joined the BJP. If Kavuri Sambasiva Rao finally takes the plunge, he would be the third Union Minister to do so in recent days.

On the other hand, another influential Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao who was expelled from the party recently announced that he would join TDP on March 31. Along with him his close associate and former minister in N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s cabinet, Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad is also likely to join TDP.

Interestingly, a close associate of Kiran Kumar Reddy and one of the founder members of the Jai Samaikyandhra Party Pithani Satyanarayana is also said to be contemplating to join TDP. He held a meeting with his party workers in his village Kommu Chikkala of Poduru Mandal in West Godavari district. He is likely to make an announcement to the effect in next few days.