HYDERABAD : In another major jolt to the beleaguered BRS, its secretary general K Keshava Rao returned to the Congress fold on Wednesday.
The Rajya Sabha member joined the grand old party in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was also present on the occasion.
Keshava Rao, who previously served as the chairman of the BRS Parliamentary Party, played an important role in the pink party both at the state and national level ever since it came to power in 2014. But after the 2023 Assembly elections, in which the BRS suffered defeat, he chose to desert the pink party.
Though he has been leaning towards the Congress and met the chief minister in March, he formally joined the grand old party on Wednesday.
But it is unclear if he would resign as a Rajya Sabha member to avoid disqualification.
It may be mentioned here that he also served as the PCC president and thrice as a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
After welcoming Keshava Rao into the party, Kharge posted on X: “Worthy homecoming! We welcome senior leader,
Shri K Keshav Rao ji to the Congress party. We are confident that his vast experience in public service will strengthen the Congress party in Telangana.”
In a video released by the party, Kharge is also seen speaking about his association with Keshava Rao.
Keshava Rao’s exit from the BRS comes just a few days after six of its MLAs changed loyalties to the Congress. In March this year, Keshava Rao’s daughter and Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi also joined the Congress.
By welcoming Keshava Rao, the Congress has sent a strong message to the BRS, which has been claiming that it will topple the state government.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that more BRS MLAs and MLCs are likely to join the grand old party in the coming days.