Former Assembly Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy quitting the Congress has come as a shock to party leaders and cadres in the district. Though he faced poll defeat twice—in Balkonda in 2009 and in Armoor in 2014, he quitting Congress was never anticipated.
A four-time MLA from Balkonda, he comes from a family of staunch Congress leaders. His grandfather late Kethireddy Hanmanth Reddy was a freedom fighter and the first chairman of Zilla Parishad. Mr. Suresh Reddy’s father Govind Reddy, who once served as Samithi president, was shot dead by naxalites belonging to People’s War Group.
However, his departure from Congress is no surprise for political analysts and mediapersons as rumours about the same have been doing rounds for the last few months. His decision to join the TRS after the party announced the list of candidates to contest Assembly elections on Thursday indicates that he would not face direct elections, but might get a nominated post.
“Mr. Suresh Reddy’s decision will help us adjust tickets within the party without any hassles. He has no guts to face direct elections and therefore has quit Congress, which we never expected him to do,” said DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan.