Another BRS MLA joins Congress in Telangana

Hyderabad, June 23 (IANS) The exodus of BRS MLAs to the Congress in Telangana continued with another of its legislators joining the ruling party on Sunday.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Dr M. Sanjay Kumar met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday night and joined the Congress.

The Chief Minister, who is also the state unit President, welcomed Sanjay into the party. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, former minister Sudershan Reddy, and Chief Minister’s advisor Vem Narender Reddy were present.

Sanjay was re-elected for a second consecutive term from the Jagtial Assembly constituency in Nizamabad district in the elections held in November 2023.

He is the fifth BRS MLA to switch loyalties since Congress came to power in December last year.

This came two days after senior leader and former Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy joined the Congress. Srinivas Reddy is a BRS MLA and a prominent leader from Nizamabad district.

The BRS had won 39 seats in the 119-member Assembly. Its strength has now come down to 33 as it also lost the recent Secunderabad Cantonment by-election to the ruling party.

Srinivas Reddy was the first MLA to switch loyalties after BRS suffered a humiliating defeat in last month’s Lok Sabha polls. The party drew a blank. After the defeat in the Assembly elections, the BRS lost several leaders to the Congress and the BJP.