Jolt to KCR: Ahead of the Telangana Assembly election, over a dozen former legislators, ministers and office bearers of K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) joined the Congress on Monday in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at the AICC office in Delhi.
Leaders who joined Congress
The leaders who joined the Congress today include former Telangana minister and five-time MLA Jupally Krishna Rao, former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, former MLAs Gurnath Reddy, Koram Kanakaiah, Koram Kanakaiah and many others.
Congress would form next government in Telangana
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the development was a sign that Congress would form the next government in Telangana. "A whole host of very senior leaders in Telangana have today joined the Congress party. This is a big boost for us, a sign of how the winds of change have travelled all the way to Telangana. It's a sign that Congress will form the next government in Telangana," said Supriya Shrinate.
After meeting the Congress top brass, the BRS leaders announced at a press conference that they are joining the Congress. They will later address a public rally in Khammam, Telangana expected to be held in the first week of July with the likely presence of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, news agency PTI reported. Reddy was a BRS MP from Khammam in the previous Lok Sabha polls. The development comes ahead of Assembly elections in the state later this year.
BRS leaders met Congress top brass
The leaders met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi in the presence of general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy.
Winds of change are sweeping through Telangana
Later, in a tweet, the Congress wrote, "Winds of change are sweeping through Telangana. In a big boost to the Congress party's prospects, more and more people are aligning with us to take the message of love and prosperity forward." "Today, senior leaders from Telangana joined the Congress party in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, General Secy (Org.) K C Venugopal, AICC Telangana Incharge Manikrao Thakre, Telangana PCC President Vevanth Reddy and other senior leaders at AICC HQ, New Delhi," the party said.
"This winds of change started with 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the effect of which you saw in Karnataka. Today, many important leaders of Telangana are joining Congress party and all of them have held long talks after meeting top leaders of the party," said AICC leader Pawan Khera at a press conference.
"Many important leaders of Telangana joined our party today. Together we will tell the people of Telangana how BJP and BRS are cheating them. I thank all these senior leaders from the bottom of my heart," Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy said.
