Telangana: Jolt to Congress as leaders set to join BJP

Adilabad: Even as the elections to Telangana Legislative Assembly are not in the near future, the Congress party is going to receive a jolt with many leaders shifting loyalties towards Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and TRS soon. It is gradually losing its existence in the erstwhile Adilabad district, which used to be the party’s stronghold […]

Adilabad: Even as the elections to Telangana Legislative Assembly are not in the near future, the Congress party is going to receive a jolt with many leaders shifting loyalties towards Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and TRS soon. It is gradually losing its existence in the erstwhile Adilabad district, which used to be the party’s stronghold for a long time.

The grand old party, which is struggling to survive in its bastion, will be dealt a blow with the party’s Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency in-charge Dr Palvai Harish Rao all set to join the saffron party on February 16 in the presence of BJP State president Bandi Sanjay in Hyderabad. He has officially declared his decision following the suggestion from his followers.

The son of former MLA Purushottam Rao, Harish drew attention when he polled 59,000 votes contesting from Sirpur (T) segment on a Congress ticket for the first time in the elections to Telangana Legislative Assembly in 2018. He has been actively participating in programmes of the party. He had joined the outfit ahead of the polls of that year.

Similarly, the likes of Rathod Ramesh and some other senior leaders are reportedly ready to leave the Congress, considering poor prospects for associating with the party in the forthcoming polls. “The leadership of the Congress in Telangana is not living up to expectations of the workers of this region. It is failing to be proactive and present in programmes,” a leader ready to quit the outfit opined.

The aspirants of tickets from various Assembly constituencies and senior leaders are staying in touch with leaders of BJP. “It’s a bit early to deflect, but you can easily synchronise with existing cadres if you join now as the Centre mulls to introduce a bill on simultaneous elections in Parliament in the short future. You can publicise your candidature,” an aspirant reasoned.

Certain candidates of the Congress during the elections to the Assembly-2018 are learned to be trying to shift their loyalties towards the saffron party. But, their bids are reportedly thwarted by the cadres of the outfit who hope tickets in the coming polls. It is learned a nominee of Mancherial district withdrew his move to join the BJP when the leaders opposed his entry into the party recently.

Meanwhile, budding politicians who sense lesser chances of getting tickets by the Congress in Nirmal, Adilabad are showing interest to work with the TRS hoping their applications would be considered by the top leadership of the pink party.

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