BRS Continues to Reel from Defections as Congress Gains

Hyderabad/Nizamabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi continued to reel from political defections on Wednesday, with former Medchal MLA M. Sudheer Reddy and his son Sharath Chandra Reddy, currently, the zilla parishad chairperson for Medchal-Malkajgiri, joining the Congress.

Also to join the Congress in the presence of TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy were Jawaharnagar Municipal Corporation corporator Niharika Goud, scores of sarpanchs and workers from the BRS.

In further blows to the ruling party, former MLC and Telangana state women’s finance development corporation chairperson Aluka Lalitha and Bodhan municipal chairperson T. Padma also resigned from the BRS, with both expected to join the Congress soon.

TPCC chief Revanth on Wednesday visited Sudheer Reddy's residence in Pratap Singaram of Medchal and invited him to join the party, which he accepted. Speaking on the occasion, Revanth Reddy said that Sudheer Reddy “has taken a great decision”.

“There is one (minister Malla Reddy) in Medchal who sells milk and there is another one (Malla Reddy's son-in-law M. Rajashekar Reddy) who sells seats in his colleges. People of Medchal-Malkajgiri elected me as an MP by giving a befitting reply to both of them,” Revanth said.

The TPCC chief said it was their responsibility to liberate Jawaharnagar, and promised to extend Metro rail projects to the area by turning it into an IT hub and roping in MNCs to set up shop here.

Many leaders from Maddur mandal of Kodangal constituency and 100 BRS leaders from Challapur village of Daultabad mandal also joined the Congress on the day.

Meanwhile, MLC K. Kavitha of the BRS took up responsibilities of Nizamabad urban and Bodhan Assembly segments after the two women leaders, Padma and Lalitha, quit BRS.

Political sources said that following Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s announcement to contest from Kamareddy, BRS leaders expected Kavitha to helm the constituency, but K.T. Rama Rao took charge instead.

Taking responsibility for Nizamabad (urban) and Bodhan, Kavitha has been attending various programmes over the past few days. Former MLC Akula Lalitha was disappointed with her tenure as MLC not being extended and is likely to contest the Nizamabad urban Assembly seat on a Congress ticket.

Bodhan municipal chairperson T. Padma, along with her husband, municipal councillor T. Sharath Reddy, resigned from the BRS and joined Congress in the presence of TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. The move comes after differences between Bodhan MLA Shakil and Padma Sharath Reddy widened and the BRS high command backed Shakil.