Hyderabad:
Bharat Rashtra Samithi Former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has witnessed an exodus after the defeat in last year’s Assembly elections. More than ten senior leaders have changed sides in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
More than 10 names on the BJP list are former members of the BRS. Among them are former BRS minister Eatala Rajender. A candidate from Malkajgiri, he joined the BJP in June 2021 after being thrown out of the BRS.
But while he had been in the party for some time, many others made the switch and were nominated by the BJP within hours.
The sitting MP from Zaheerabad was from BRS, resigned and became the BJP candidate within hours. Bharat, son of BRS MP Ramulu, was fielded from Nagarkurnool within hours of father and son switching sides. Aroori Ramesh was similarly named Warangal BJP candidate.
The Congress has welcomed the BRS leaders in a similar manner. Chevella MP Ranjith Reddy, who won as a BRS candidate, is now representing the Congress from the same seat.
Danam Nagender, who won the BRS MLA from Khairatabad in the November 30 elections, has been appointed by the Congress from Secunderabad. Former BRS minister Patnam Mahender Reddy’s wife Sunita Mahender Reddy, chairperson of Vikarabad Zilla parish of BRS, is now the Congress’ Malkajgiri candidate.
Kadiyam Kavya, who gave BRS a ticket for Warangal, has switched to Congress and has been appointed from the same seat. Her father Kadiyam Srihari was also elected BRS MLA in the November 30 parliamentary elections.
Two other key leaders of BRS – Peddapalli MP Venkatesh Netha have moved to Congress but have not been given tickets. Warangal MP Pasunuri Dayakar has also switched to Congress but has not been fielded by the party.
In 2019, nine of the state’s 17 Lok Sabha seats had gone to Rao’s party, four to the BJP, three to the Congress and one to Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
At the time, Rao’s party, still called the Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS, was dominant given his status as the father of the statehood movement.
The party’s slide began after the name change: a focus from state issues to the leader’s national aspirations did not sit well with the electorate, many in the party had privately admitted.
Added to this were the allegations of corruption, including the alleged involvement of Rao’s daughter K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor case.