Telangana: Ponguleti’s follower decides to return to BRS

Dr. Tellam Venkat Rao joined the Congress along with Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Khammam this July

Khammam: In a major setback to former MP and Congress campaign committee co-chairman, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, one of his followers, Dr. Tellam Venkat Rao, is all set to return to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

Venkat Rao was formerly with the BRS and unsuccessfully contested on the party ticket for Bhadrachalam (ST) Assembly seat in the 2018 elections. Earlier he contested for Mahabubabad (ST) Parliament seat in 2014 on a YSRCP ticket and lost. He served as in-charge of BRS affairs in Bhadrachalam constituency.

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He was a follower of Srinivas Reddy when they both were in YSRCP. He joined the Congress along with Srinivas Reddy in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Khammam this July. But he was said to be unhappy in the party as his hopes to contest for the Bhadrachalam seat in upcoming Assembly elections took a beating in the wake of the news that the Congress ticket might go to sitting MLA Podem Veeraiah.

It is learnt that BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao assigned the task bringing Venkat Rao back to the BRS fold, to the Khammam and Kothagudem BRS district presidents, MLC Tata Madhusudhan and Pinapaka MLA Rega Kantha Rao. And they succeeded in the task.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Madhusudhan confirmed the news of Venkat Rao joining BRS and said Congress leader would join BRS in Hyderabad on Thursday along with his followers.

Many Congress leaders in Khammam and Kothagudem districts are in touch with BRS and talks are underway with them. BRS has emerged as an undisputed power in erstwhile Khammam district and the party would win majority seats in the next elections, he said.

Meanwhile, Venkat Rao released a video message stating that the majority of his followers have been asking him to go back to BRS for the development of Bhadrachalam constituency. He also said that he is not comfortable with Congress ideology.