HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) has initiated efforts to win back its former MLAs, MPs, and senior leaders who shifted loyalty to the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following their party’s defeat in the recent Assembly elections.
Sources in the BRS indicate that the party leadership wants to reintegrate these leaders into the party to strengthen it at the grassroots level in various Assembly constituencies.
To achieve this, the BRS leadership has tasked a prominent former minister with the responsibility of persuading the defectors to return to the party fold. This leader is reportedly engaging in extensive discussions with 10 to 15 former BRS loyalists, leveraging local party leaders to facilitate their return.
According to the party insiders, the first round of talks with leaders from Nizamabad, Adilabad, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, and Warangal concluded last month. These leaders are said to be keen on meeting former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to explain the circumstances that led to their departure from the party ahead of the Assembly and parliament elections.
During the last Assembly elections, several long-time BRS leaders, including those who had been elected as MLAs once or twice, joined the Congress and the BJP. Some of these former MLAs even contested and won MP seats on BJP tickets. The BRS now aims to bring them back into the party fold, offering them significant roles in their respective segments and rebuilding its presence in constituencies that have been left without strong leadership since their departure.
However, the BRS has clarified that it has no plans to welcome back sitting MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress. Notably, 10 BRS MLAs defected to the Congress after the Assembly and Parliament elections, and their return is not under consideration. The BRS’ focus remains on reclaiming its former loyalists to bolster its organisational strength to face future electoral challenges.