Congress leaders turning towards BRS
The induction of T Jeevan Reddy into BRS has triggered political churn in Telangana, with several Congress leaders reportedly exploring a shift. Dissatisfaction within Congress and BRS’s growing traction are seen as key factors behind the trend.
Hyderabad: The political ripples triggered by the induction of senior leader T Jeevan Reddy into the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) are beginning to travel far beyond a routine change of party. What is emerging, if BRS sources are to be believed, is a quiet churn within the Congress in Telangana, which could reshape alignments much before the next electoral cycle.
At the BRS State executive committee meeting, chaired by party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday, the issue reportedly came up for discussion. While introducing Jeevan Reddy to party leaders, Chandrashekhar Rao is understood to have indicated that several Congress leaders were in touch with the BRS leadership, exploring a similar path.
As articulated by BRS insiders, the reasons are not hard to decipher. There is a growing perception at the grassroots that the BRS has regained traction by aggressively taking up public issues as the principal opposition. Equally significant is the reported dissatisfaction among sections of Congress leaders with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy‘s style of functioning, especially his treatment of his loyalists compared to other Congress leaders.
Sources said Jeevan Reddy’s entry and the prominence accorded to him within the BRS have acted as a signal to many Congress leaders who were already unhappy with their State leadership. Several leaders, who hesitated to leave the Congress despite internal differences, are now said to have initiated backchannel contacts with the BRS leadership.
A senior BRS general secretary, who is informed about these developments, said there was a clear sense among some Congress leaders that their political space is shrinking. He said many leaders feel ignored when it comes to development works in their constituencies or certain favours for the cadre, prompting them to reassess their options. Leaders like TPCC working president T Jagga Reddy and Mungode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy had openly found fault with Revanth Reddy for ignoring Congress senior leaders and loyalists.
The list of those said to be in touch with the BRS spans regions, with at least one leader each from erstwhile Warangal and Adilabad districts to a prominent figure from undivided Nizamabad. There is also talk of interest from two MLAs in the Palamuru belt. The recent return of Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy to the BRS has only added to the momentum, feeding speculation that others who had defected earlier could retrace their steps. Not long ago, a video of Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy went viral on social media, where he expressed his dissatisfaction over the government’s failure to complete irrigation project works.
Interestingly, the BRS leadership appears cautious. Sources said the BRS chief has made it clear that the party is in no hurry to induct leaders without consulting existing cadre, especially in constituencies where local resistance to outsiders remains strong. He reportedly hinted that the same rule must be applied to local leaders joining the BRS.
What seems to have emboldened these overtures is a mix of political signals. The BRS’ performance in local body elections, including wins in constituencies currently held by Congress, factional tensions within Congress units and the psychological impact of Jeevan Reddy’s exit despite the Congress being in power.
BRS sources indicated that more high-profile inductions could take place over the next year. “Even though the Congress is in power, many leaders feel the next election will be different. They want time to rebuild under the BRS rather than join at the last minute,” a party general secretary said.
