Telangana Congress party inducts BRS rebels, get a poll boost

The Telangana Congress party has stepped up its efforts to build a base in the state, by luring rebels from Bharat Rashtra Samithi, fresh off its Karnataka victory.

The Congress appears to have achieved a big success with former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao reportedly making up their mind to join it.

Both the leaders were suspended by the BRS in April for anti-party activities and the BJP had been making serious efforts to convince them to join its camp.

This will be a big boost for the Congress as Srinivasa Reddy is considered an influential leader in Khammam and adjoining districts.

The Congress party appears to have gained an upper hand over the BJP, with only about six months left for Assembly elections in the state.

Political observers say that with the recent joining of leaders from the BRS and other parties, the Congress started emerging as the main challenger for the BRS, which is likely to face anti-incumbency after two terms in power.

During the last few days, the Congress succeeded in attracting even those rebel BRS leaders who earlier seemed to prefer the BJP.

According to political analysts, many leaders made up their minds after the Karnataka result and the party's central and state leadership also made consistent efforts through regular talks.

The Congress is likely to attract more leaders to its camp as the elections draw near. "Many dissident leaders of the BRS and even the BJP are likely to join Congress. Even those who had quit Congress a few years ago may come back," said analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

He believes that despite the defeats in 2014 and 2018 polls, defections, poor performance in by-elections, and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and infighting, the Congress remains a strong force in the state.

Unlike the BJP whose presence is confined to a few districts, the Congress still has a strong presence across the state. "Some leaders might have left but the party's cadres are still active on the ground," said senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir.

Revanth Reddy, the chief of the Telangana Congress Party, claims that these joinings show the growing strength of the Congress. He is confident that the Congress will come to power in Telangana. "The four crore people of Telangana have been bearing the brunt of BRS excesses and misrule and are waiting for an opportunity to unseat the KCR government," he said.

These are not mere joinings but a wave that will consume the anti-people BRS government, he claimed.