Kothagudem CPI municipal councillors join BRS

The Minister welcomed them into the party by offering them the pink scarf. Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao assured that those who liked the BRS ideology and party president K Chandrashekhar Rao's governance and joined the party would be protected.

Kothagudem: In a setback to the CPI’s Kothagudem Assembly candidate Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao, the party’s councillors and leaders joined the BRS in presence of IT Minister KT Rama Rao in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The Minister welcomed them into the party by offering them the pink scarf. Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao assured that those who liked the BRS ideology and party president K Chandrashekhar Rao‘s governance and joined the party would be protected. He advised them to work for BRS candidate for Kothagudem Assembly seat Vanama Venkateswara Rao’s victory.

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The councillors said that they were impressed with the Chief Minister’s welfare minded governance and development initiatives. That was why they wanted to work under the leadership of Chandrashekhar Rao, they said adding they would work for the victory of Venkateswara Rao in the Assembly elections.

The CPI district executive committee member, party town secretary and municipal floor leader Y Srinivasa Reddy, 1st ward councillor, AIYF district president Boina Vijay Kumar, 18th ward councillor P Satyanarayana Chary, 16th ward councillor Macharla Rajakumari, 30th ward councillor Nerella Samaikya and CPI town assistant secretary, former councillor Macharla Srinivas and AITUC town convener P Srinivas were among those joined the BRS.

It might be noted that councillors in Kothagudem Municipality and leaders a few days ago revolted against the CPI leadership demanding to allot the Kothagudem Assembly ticket to a BC leader, Sk Sabir Pasha instead of Sambasiva Rao. Interestingly, Sabir Pasha, for whose sake the councillors revolted against the party, remained in the CPI while the councillors resigned keeping their word to quit the party if the ticket was not given to Sabir Pasha.

On the other hand, several Congress leaders and workers abstained from a rally taken out on Wednesday marking the filing of nomination papers by Sambasiva Rao. District Congress president Podem Veeraiah was also absent. Though ex-MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy attended the rally, his key follower Vukanti Gopal Rao was not seen in the rally.