Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao on Sunday met Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at the latter’s farmhouse near Gajwel and expressed his willingness to join the TRS.
Shortly after meeting Mr. Rao, the MLA issued a release confirming that he was quitting Congress and seek re-election, if needed. He said he was joining TRS as he was attracted by the programmes of the Chief Minister.
Mr. Venkateswara Rao is the eighth Congress MLA to join TRS after Mr. Rega Kantha Rao, Ms. Haripriya Naik and Mr. K. Upender Reddy, all from erstwhile Khammam district, Mr. Atram Sakku who represents Asifabad constituency, Mr. Chirumarthi Lingaiah of Nakrekal, Ms. Sabita Indra Reddy of Maheswaram, Mr. D. Sudhir Reddy of L.B. Nagar.
With this, the Congress strength in the Assembly has dropped from 19 to 11. Sources said two more MLAs were also likely to join the TRS.
Mr. Venkateswara Rao is the fourth time MLA from Kothagudem, winning the seat in 1989, 1999, 2004 and now. He was the Minister for Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad during the Chief Ministership of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy from 2007 to 2009. It was during his tenure that the 108 ambulance service and Aarogyasri insurance for poor was launched. He was the Khammam district Congress president from 1999 to 2014 and later reappointed to the post for Kothagudem district recently.
Separately, SC cell chairman of Telangana Congress committee and former Manakondur MLA Arepalli Mohan joined the TRS in the presence of its working president K.T. Rama Rao here. The TRS leader assured him that he will get his due in the party.