KCR's Former Trusted Aide Joins Congress

HYDERABAD: In a setback to BRS, former MP and TS government's special representative in Delhi, Manda Jagannadham joined Congress along with his son Manda Srinath in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy at Gandhi Bhavan here on Friday.

Jagannadham was elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Nagarkurnool constituency between 1998 and 2009.

He started his political journey with TDP, shifted to Congress and joined TRS (now BRS) in 2013 at the peak of the statehood agitation. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao appointed him state government's special representative in Delhi with cabinet rank just before Lok Sabha polls in April 2019. Jagannatham sought a ticket to contest Assembly polls either for himself or his son but the BRS leadership rejected his request. Upset that the BRS leadership was neglecting him and his son, he has been staying away from party activities.

BJP leader Vijayashanthi, who resigned from the party, also joined Congress in the presence of Kharge.

Former Union minister P. Shiv Shankar's son P. Vinay Kumar will return to Congress on Saturday. Vinay Kumar had quit Congress in 2021 and stayed away from politics.