State division forces leaders switch parties

Hyderabad: Several ministers, MLAs and MPs seeking greener pastures have switched parties or are planning to in the wake of the state bifurcation fallout. In a big morale booster to the Telugu Desam and a setback to the Congress, three ministers and five Congress MLAs met TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu to express their desire to join the party. The TD welcomed minor irrigation minister T.G. Venkatesh, law minister Erasu Pratap Reddy and infrastructure minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao who fought for the failed Samaikyandhra cause. They met Mr Naidu to prepare the modalities for joining the TD.
Congress MLAs Adala Prabhakar Reddy (Sarvepalli), Avanti Srinivas Rao (Bhimili), Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah (Gajuwaka), Ramesh Babu (Pendurthi) and Uppalapati Venkata Ramanamurthy Raju (Kanna Babu — Yelaman chili), the last four from Vizag district, also met the TD chief and decided to join the party. Sources said Mr Prabhakar Reddy plans to join the party at the Praja Garjana programme to be held in Nellore on March 5 and other MLAs on March 8 at Vizag.
The Congress on the other hand saw the entry of TRS Medak MP Ms Vijayashanti. Ms Vijayashanti, who crossed swords with TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, met UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Digvijay Singh and joined the party. “Our 60-year-old dream has been fulfilled. I decided to join the Congress without a second thought. I joined the Congress in the presence of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. One should stand by his word,” she said in New Delhi
TRS Mancherial MLA Arvind Reddy also joined the Congress on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the TRS even as talks of a merger between the Congress and the TRS is on. Several Seemandhra ministers, Congress MLAs and MLCs who differed with the party’s decision to bifurcate the state are now looking towards Telugu Desam while those from the TD in Telangana are either joining the TRS or the Congress.