Congress May Suffer Further Jolt in Telangana as Former UPA Ministers, MLA Gear up to Join BJP

Hyderabad: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) BJP continued to focus on strengthening its base in the twin Telugu states, a group of Congress leaders, including two former Union ministers, are all set to join the saffron party in Telangana.

Sources said the two former ministers during the UPA regime who are ready to change camps are Sarve Satyanarayana and Balaram Naik. Disgruntled Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy is also likely to switch loyalty. It is said BJP president Amit Shah, who is also the Union Home Minister, may welcome them in the party fold either in New Delhi or Hyderabad.

Naik had earlier said that he was invited by the BJP leadership to join the saffron camp. “I am not yet ready to take such a decision,” he had then said. With this, the Congress’ situation is likely to further worsen in the two southern states. After the Lok Sabha debacle, it suffered a serious jolt when 12 of its legislators joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) after seeking a merger with the ruling party.

However, Rajgopal Reddy has time and again accused Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief N Utham Kumar Reddy and Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka of inefficiency and fumed at the party leadership for failing to prevent switch-overs.

Soon after winning four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, state BJP chief K Lakshamn and party MP GVL Narsimha Rao had declared that their focus would now be on strengthening the saffron camp in the twin Telugu states.