The BRS in Telangana suffered another major jolt as its sitting MLA and former minister Kadiam Srihari and his daughter Kadiam Kavya on Sunday joined the Congress Party in the presence of chief minister and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy. Congress leaders had earlier invited Srihari to join the party. Shrihari said for many reasons people are moving away from BRS. So to serve the people and to do something for the constituency, he decided to take a call.

Srihari’s daughter Kavya who is a BRS candidate from Warangal, also announced her decision to join Congress. She cited the recent allegations of corruption and phone tapping against the previous K Chandrasekhar Rao – led regime were the main reason for her making an exit from BRS. She said the allegations lowered the party’s prestige. She also mentioned there was a lack of coordination and cooperation among BRS leaders in the district which is causing more damage to the party.

BRS had decided to field Kavya after denying ticket to sitting MP Pasunuri Dayakar. As a result of which Dayakar joined the Congress party. Dayakar was elected in 2015 by-election and in 2019, from Warangal, a seat reserved for scheduled castes.

Srihari a prominent SC leader started his political jorney in the 1980’s with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had also served as minister in the cabinets of N.T. Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu in combined Andhra Pradesh. He had also served as TDP general secretary and Politburo member.

 A 4 time MLA from station Ghanpur in Warangal district, he joined TRS (now BRS) in 2013. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Warangal on TRS ticket in 2014, but the next year, BRS president and then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao inducted him into the cabinet as cabinet Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister. Srihari and his daughter joined Congress a day after Hyderabad Mayor Vijayalaxmi Gadwal of BRS joined the ruling party.

The opposition INDIA bloc urged the Election Commission to ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha election and asserted that despite the BJP creating undemocratic obstacles, the alliance is committed to fight, win and save the country’s democracy.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary read out the demands of the opposition alliance at the Loktantra Bachao Rally at the Ramlila ground here. She stated the Election Commission should ensure a level playing field for all parties in Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress leader demanded that the election panel should stop the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax department’s actions against opposition parties being taken to adversely impact the elections, adding that former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal be immediately released.

While reading out the opposition alliance demand at the rally, Priyanka Gandhi said that during the elections, action to forcefully scuttle the finances of opposition parties should be immediately stopped. Furthermore, she also demanded that a Supreme Court-monitored SIT be set up to investigate the BJP’s extortion of funds through the electoral bonds scheme. Priyanka Gandhi said that despite the BJP creating undemocratic obstacles, the INDIA bloc was committed to fighting, winning, and saving democracy in India.

Speaking at the rally, the Senior Congress leader said that she has been coming to Ramlila Maidan since childhood and every year, Ravan’s effigy is set on fire. She recalled that as a kid, she used to come to Ramlila Maidan with her grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who used to narrate the Ramayana to her. 

She further narrated that when Lord Ram fought for truth, he did not have power, resources or even a chariot. She continued that Ravan had chariots, resources, army and gold but Lord Ram had truth, hope, belief, love, kindness, modesty, patience, courage and truth. She concluded that she wants to tell those in power and PM Narendra Modi that the message of Lord Ram’s life is that power is not permanent and arrogance gets shattered.

Congress veteran and ex-Union Minister Shivraj Patil’s daughter-in-law Archana Patil Chakurkar joined BJP on Saturday. Archana said she had made up her mind after the Central government brought women’s reservation bill. She was inducted in the presence of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP workers in Mumbai. This comes after the exit of Basavraj Patil, a close aid of her father-in-law. The exits come as a fresh blow to Congress in Latur.

With Basavraj and Archana’s inductions, BJP aims to attract a large number of Lingayat votes in the Lok Sabha constituency. Archana Patil Chakurkar said Prime minister Narendra Modi has given due respect to women of this country through Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. She said the prime minister is working for welfare of people at bottom of the pyramid and she has decided to join him.

State BJP Chashekhar Bawankule was also present at Chakurkar’s induction into the party. Archana Patil is the chairperson of the Lifecare hospital and Research Centre in Udgir, and her husband, Shailesh Patil Chandurkar, is the Congress’s state secretary. Chakurkar had met Fadnavis at his official residence Sagar in south Mumbai on Friday.

 Shivraj Patil served as Union Home Minister under the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2008. Meanwhile independent member of Parliament (MP) Navneet Rana joined the BJP in the presence of BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in Nagpur. Naveneet Rana said for the last 5 years, she was working on the ideas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said her ideology is no different.

She said MLA Ravi Rana also supported the BJP government in Maharashtra. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported those working at the ground level and gave her a ticket. She said the BJP had honored her hard work and they will fulfill their resolve of crossing 400 by winning the election. Rana said she will work as a dedicated worker for the BJP.