Former president of the District Congress Committee and former legislator Katakam Mruthyunjayam has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of its State president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar at his native Gambhiraopeta mandal in Rajanna-Sircilla district on Friday.
Mr. Mruthyunjayam had resigned his post in January this year during the local bodies elections after developing differences with TPCC working president Ponnam Prabhakar over the constitution of committees for the selection of candidates to contest the municipal polls. Besides, he was also dejected over several Congress leaders joining the TRS from the district.
He had sent his resignation letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi expressing his inability to continue in the party owing to the party distancing from the people and its ideology. He had waited for the party high command to rethink about his decision to quit the party for about six months. When there was no response from the AICC and the TPCC, he had decided to quit the party forever and decided to join the BJP.
Accordingly, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar visited the Gambhiraopeta mandal on Friday and welcomed Mr. Mruthyunjayam into the party by offering him party shawl. BJP leaders, including former MP G Vivekanand, former minister E. Peddi Reddy, former legislator Bodige Shobha, Rajanna-Sircilla BJP district president Prathap Ramakrishna, former Karimnagar Mayor D. Shankar and others were present.
Mr. Mruthyunjayam started his political career as Gambhiraopet panchayat samithi member. Later, he was elected as legislator from Karimnagar Assembly segment in the year 1983 on the Sanjay Vichar Manch party ticket. He was also KDCCB chairman in the early 1990s. He was the DCC president from 1995 to 2003. Later, he joined the TRS and contested as the TRS party candidate from Karimnagar assembly segment and lost in the elections. Later, he rejoined the Congress party in the year 2014 and continued as DCC president till his resignation.