KHAMMAM/HYDERABAD: On a day when TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy called on Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and party general-secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal in New Delhi on Thursday, reports emerged that former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has more or less made the decision to join the grand old party and will make a formal announcement on Friday after consulting his followers from the 10 Assembly constituencies that are part of the erstwhile Khammam district.
Sources close to Srinivasa Reddy said that he will listen to the opinions of his followers and then explain to them the reasons behind his decision to opt for the Congress over the BJP, which has also been wooing him to join its ranks.
Meanwhile, Revanth, who arrived in Delhi from the USA, reportedly discussed the joining of several prominent personalities into the Congress and the party’s position in Telangana with Kharge and Venugopal in separate meetings. The sources also said that the TPCC chief invited Kharge to the massive public meeting that the Congress has planned for the end of June. It is expected that Srinivasa Reddy will join the party at this public meeting.
During his meeting with Venugopal, Revanth reportedly sought clearance for some pending organisational appointments. He also discussed the possible influx of prominent leaders into the party. The sources said that the TPCC chief requested Venugopal to arrange a time for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to attend the public meetings in Telangana.
Tickets assured
Meanwhile, sources say that Srinivasa Reddy contacted Rahul Gandhi and obtained an assurance from him that the party would allot eight tickets to him and his supporters in the erstwhile Khammam district. Of the 10 Assembly seats in Khammam district, two constituencies—Madhira and Bhadrachalam—are represented by Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Podem Veeraiah of the Congress.
It is learned that the former MP was also assured that the party would allot tickets to former minister Jupally Krishna Rao and seven leaders of his choice in the Mahbubnagar district. This has more or less cleared the way for Srinivasa Reddy’s entry into the Congress.
“As all the issues have been resolved, his entry would be just a formality,” one of his supporters, on condition of anonymity, informed TNIE. Though some Congress workers are opposing Srinivasa Reddy’s entry into the grand old party, his supporters insist that they have a clear assurance from the party's high command regarding the number of tickets the group will be allocated.
After Srinivasa Reddy was suspended from the BRS, both the BJP and Congress reached out to him, but he decided to wait and watch which way the wind blew in Karnataka. Now that the Congress has decimated the BJP in the neighbouring state, Srinivasa is understood to have concluded that the grand old party is a better bet.