With less than a year left for the 2023 assembly elections in Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly poaching influential leaders from the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), especially in the districts where it is relatively weak.
Senior Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s Sunday announcement that only “the BJP has the capacity to defeat the TRS in the next elections in the state” is believed to be the part of the latest strategy of the saffron party.
The Congress MLA admitted that he had met Union home minister Amit Shah a few days ago and discussed the political situation in the state. “My whole objective is to defeat TRS led by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. And I will sail with that party which has the capacity to defeat the TRS,” he said, adding that his defection to the BJP will be a “historic necessity.”
Industrialist-turned-politician Rajagopal Reddy represents the Munugode assembly constituency in Nalgonda district, where the BJP is on a weak footing. His entry into the party will definitely give a big boost to the BJP in the district.
“I am confident that Reddy will soon join the BJP. In fact, many leaders, including MLAs and MPs from the TRS as well, are interested in joining the BJP. They are reluctantly continuing with the TRS only for the sake of developmental works in their respective constituencies,” former minister and BJP lawmaker Eatala Rajender claimed.
{{/usCountry}}“I am confident that Reddy will soon join the BJP. In fact, many leaders, including MLAs and MPs from the TRS as well, are interested in joining the BJP. They are reluctantly continuing with the TRS only for the sake of developmental works in their respective constituencies,” former minister and BJP lawmaker Eatala Rajender claimed.
{{/usCountry}}Rajender, who had quit the TRS to join the BJP in June 2021 and was re-elected to the state assembly from Huzurabad assembly constituency on BJP ticket, is now heading a seven-member committee to look into the poaching of potential leaders from other parties to strengthen the party.
On July 4, the BJP managed to attract former TRS MP from Chevella parliamentary constituency and prominent industrialist Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who joined the party in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the public rally in Hyderabad held after the BJP national executive committee meeting.
The BJP is reported to be focussing on attracting top leaders from other parties in the districts of Adilabad, Nalgonda and Khammam. “In the coming days, there is going to be a huge influx of leaders from other parties into the BJP, which has all the potential to come to power in Telangana in the next assembly elections,” Rajender said.
According to a senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, the Congress MLA from Munugode might join the saffron party in August first week, when BJP state president Bandi Sanjay will undertake his third phase of padayatra, that passes through Reddy’s constituency, among others.
“Several national leaders, including Amit Shah, are expected to attend the public rallies as part of Sanjay’s 24-day padayatra. During this period, Reddy and many other Congress and TRS leaders will join the party,” the leader quoted above said.
Meanwhile, the Congress high command has taken a serious note of Rajagopal Reddy’s comments praising the BJP and criticising the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) leadership. “All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Telangana Manickam Tagore called for the video and newspaper clippings of Reddy’s comments. A decision will be taken regarding disciplinary action against Reddy,” a Telangana Congress leader said.