HYDERABAD: Though elections are still more than a year away, a churn seems to be on the cards with leaders planning to hop parties.The Congress believes that its stock is on the ascendency which is evidenced by the fact that leaders from both the TRS and BJP are raring to join its ranks. The Congress sources said that a former minister and a former MLA from TRS and two BJP district presidents are getting ready to switch sides to the Congress within a week.
If the sources are to be believed, former Minister in the first TRS government’s Cabinet Jupally Krishna Rao, BJP Warangal district president, and former Wardhannapet MLA Sridhar Kondeti, former Medak MLA P Shashidhar Reddy, former MLA and Mahabubnagar BJP district president Erra Shekar, former Husnabad MLA Aligireddy Praveen Reddy are in touch with TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy and are likely to join the Congress party on July 6 officially. These leaders should have already joined the Congress party by now, but are waiting for an appropriate time, they said.
Revanth Reddy and CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka have reached Delhi to seek clearance from the high command to admit them into the Congress ranks. They held a meeting with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore, and AICC secretary Srinivasan.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Badangpet Mayor Chigirintha Parijatha Narasimha Reddy joined the Congress in Delhi in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, Revanth, Bhatti Vikramarka, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy. Speaking on the occasion, Revanth said that the leaders within the ruling TRS and BJP parties are unhappy as these parties are evading answers on development, deteriorating law and order situation, rise in the prices of fuel while staging political dramas. “Vexed with TRS and BJP, several leaders are ready to join the Congress since they believe in Sonia and Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
Queuing up?
Former TRS Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, BJP Warangal district president Sridhar Kondeti, former Medak MLA P Shashidhar Reddy, former MLA and Mahabubnagar BJP district president Erra Shekar, former Husnabad MLA Aligireddy Praveen Reddy are reportedly in touch with TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy