Congress, TRS leaders expected to join BJP during Bandi’s yatra

ADILABAD: Several Congress and TRS leaders are expected to join the BJP during Bandi Sanjay's fifth phase Praja Sangrama yatra, which will begin on November 28 in Bhainsa, with Telangana incharge Tarun Chugh expected to attend.

With leaders from other parties expected to join the BJP, competition for the BJP party ticket in some Assembly constituencies, primarily Adilabad and Mudhole, is heating up ahead of the upcoming elections. While DCC president Payal Shankar, Ch. Suhasini Reddy, NRI Kandi Srinivas Reddy, and Chilkuri Joyoti Reddy are aspiring for party tickets from Adilabad, P. Ramadevi (who was defeated twice), Mohanrao Patel and N. Narayana Reddy, NRI Bajirao Patel, and Ramarao Patel, who recently joined the party, are hoping for party tickets from Mudhole.

Senior TRS leader and former Union minister S. Venugopala Chary is reportedly eyeing both Mudhole and Nirmal seats and may join the BJP if all goes well, while a former ZP chairman and her husband, as well as a former Nirmal district MLA, are also expected to join the BJP during the Praja Sangrama yatra.

These leaders are banking on party tickets to run for the Nirmal seat in the next assembly. A senior Congress leader and former Nirmal MLA was reportedly in contact with the BJP party's high command and imposed some conditions on the party in exchange for his joining.

He requested that the party high command give a party ticket to his associate, a defeated MLA who contested from the Adilabad seat, but the party high command rejected his request, stating that the party high command will decide which candidate to field based on the survey results and that they cannot guarantee a ticket to anyone at this stage.

The party's high command stated unequivocally that leaders who are interested in joining the party can do so, but a party ticket cannot be promised at this point.