Telangana: Congress's 'lucky mascot' Dharmapuri Srinivas returns after 8 years

HYDERABAD: In a homecoming for the prodigal after eight long years, former BRS Rajya Sabha MP, Dharmapuri Srinivas, popularly known as DS, rejoined Congress on Sunday along with his eldest son, D Sanjay, a former mayor of Nizamabad. The 74-year-old leader's re-entry into Congress is set to redraw political equations on their home turf, Nizamabad, where his younger son, D Arvind, trounced chief minister's daughter Kavitha in 2019 to enter Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket.
DS, who jumped into KCR's bandwagon after statehood, was pushed into the sidelines by the chief minister after Kavitha and BRS MLAs complained to the chief minister that DS had discreetly backed his son, D Arvind, of BJP. Srinivas was even denied an audience by KCR to explain his stand. Now, with father and son on dramatically opposite ideological poles, ensuing assembly elections in Nizamabad district would turn interesting. After wallowing in political wilderness since 2019, DS met Sonia Gandhi in December 2021. She is believed to have given the green light for his return to the party. DS waited for his Rajya Sabha term to end and joined Congress to extend support to Rahul Gandhi, said sources in the party.
D Srinivas, who entered Gandhi Bhavan on a wheelchair on Sunday, joined the party in the presence of senior leaders, K Jana Reddy, V Hanumanth Rao, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Renuka Choudhary, Md Ali Shabbir and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy among others. AICC in charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre along with Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy welcomed DS with a party 'kanduva'.
Congress on its part considers him a lucky mascot, who could help the grand old party storm back to power in Telangana. The party won two Assembly elections (2004 and 2009) in undivided AP when DS was PCC chief.
"Congress will immensely benefit not only in the undivided Nizamabad district, but in the entire state as DS is a tall leader of the BC community. It's because of his stature that KCR offered him a post of advisor and bestowed him with a Rajya Sabha seat. He hails from the Munnur Kapu community, and his return will consolidate the party's backward class vote," said a senior leader.
However, confusion prevailed over the rejoining after a press release on DS' letterhead stated his son, Sanjay, would join Congress and he may not as of now. Local Congress leaders from Nizamabad too objected to Sanjay's entry. However, both father and eldest son scotched speculations and joined the grand old party.
His past decision to join BRS after having served as PCC president and minister in the YS Rajasekhar Reddy government, had shocked many in political circles then. The talk was that KCR wanted DS in BRS as he sought a long bright career for his daughter K Kavitha as MP from Nizamabad in view of DS' hold over Nizamabad politics. Kavitha who had won Nizamabad seat in 2014, lost to D Arvind of BJP in 2019.