Nizamabad: Banaswada MLA and former Assembly Speaker, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy from the BRS party joining the ruling Congress sparked a row in the undivided Nizamabad district.
Both BRS and Congress leaders staged separate protests on Friday against Pocharam’s change of colour. At Pocharam's residence in Hyderabad, BRS activists staged protests while Congress leaders staged protests against the move in Banswada assembly constituency areas.
In a surprise move, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy joined the Congress in the presence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday. This would change the political equations in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts.
Pocharam began his political career with the Congress party. After the inception of Telugu Desam, in the early 1980s, he joined it. He served as cabinet minister in Telugu Desam government during united Andhra Pradesh. In 2010, Pocharam joined the TRS party while as the Banswada MLA. Later, he won the seat as BRS MLA in a byelection.
After the formation of Telangana state, he served as the first agriculture minister and later as the assembly speaker. He maintained close rapport with former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his family members.
On par with Gajwel, Siddipet and Sircilla assembly constituencies, Pocharam took up developmental works and welfare schemes in Banswada assembly constituency.
Of the nine MLA seats in undivided Nizamabad district, BRS MLAs Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Vemula Prashanth Reddy won from Banswada and Balkonda assembly constituencies. A section of politicians expected that Balkonda MLA Prashanth Reddy would join the Congress party to hold a key position. But, surprisingly, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy joined the Congress party with a promise to strengthen the party base in Banswada.
Due to a lack of leadership in Banswada, the Congress party fielded former Yellareddy MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy from there. After the defeat in Banswada, Ravinder Reddy targeted Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and intensified an agitation programme. To checkmate him, Pocharam joined the Congress.
Srinivas Reddy's sons Pocharam Bhaskar Reddy and Pocharam Surender Reddy are also active in politics and their political future has stabilised with the father joining the Congress party.
The followers of Pocharam Srinivas Reddy expected that he might be inducted into the state cabinet under the undivided Nizamabad district quota. At present, there is no representation from the district in the state cabinet.
