Congress receives a jolt as Maheshwar Reddy quits, joins BJP

Incidentally, Maheshwar Reddy resigned a day before AICC president Mallikharjun Kharge is scheduled to attend a public meeting in Mancherial on Friday

Nirmal: Former Nirmal MLA and All India Congress Committee member Aleti Maheshwar Reddy has quit the Congress by sending his resignation to AICC president Mallikharjun Kharge on Tuesday. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi later in the day.

Reddy was the backbone of the Congress in the district for nine years. Though the Congress lost power, he was retaining leaders and activists from being poached by Opposition parties. However, dealing a severe blow to the Congress in the district, he resigned from the primary membership of the Congress and met BJP national president JP Nadda and the party’s Telangana in-charge Tarun Chugh in New Delhi, where he was welcomed to the party by Nadda and Chugh. He was accompanied by Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajender and J Sangappa.

---

Incidentally, Reddy resigned a day before AICC president Mallikharjun Kharge is scheduled to attend a public meeting in Mancherial on Friday. A show-cause notice was issued against Maheshwar Reddy for indulging in activities against the party on Wednesday. He was reportedly upset after CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka was allowed to tour Boath Assembly constituency without his knowledge recently.

Party sources said a couple of leaders close to Maheshwar Reddy were likely to follow the suit. Already, senior leaders Ramesh Rathod and Pawar Rama Rao Patel have shifted loyalties towards the BJP.