Former YSR Congress supporters join Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Hyderabad: Former Andhra Pradesh minister Konda Surekha, who was once a supporter of the Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress, joined the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Tuesday. 

Surekha had quit as minister in support of Jaganmohan Reddy, when K Rosaiah of the Congress was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, to subsequently join the YSR Congress. However, she and her husband Konda Murali, fell out with the YSR Congress and returned to the Congress.

The couple were senior Congress leaders in their native Warangal district and their admission into the TRS is being seen as an asset for the party. Surekha, who joined the TRS in the presence of its president K Chandrasekhar Rao, expressed confidence that rapid development of the new state would be possible.

TRS is now hoping to emerge as the dominant force in Telangana after the elections after ruling out merger or even an electoral alliance with the Congress.

Several MLAs and other leaders from the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have also joined the TRS in recent times.