The cup of woes of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) seems to be increasing by the day as more leaders are deserting it ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
It was a day of high drama for the BRS leadership in Warangal and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad districts as two separate incidents caught the leaders in a bind.
On Wednesday, in Warangal city, high drama was witnessed at the residence of former BRS MLA Aruri Ramesh, who had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad yesterday and hinted at joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Today, he was all set to address a press meet to announce his decision to quit the BRS and join the BJP when former Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, former MLA Basavaraj Saraiah and others descended at his house unannounced. They claimed on the directions of former Minister T. Harish Rao they had come to hold discussions with Mr. Ramesh and persuade him to change his decision.
Visuals of the BRS leaders coming to his house went viral and in a few minutes, he was seen being taken in a car. It is understood that the BRS leaders reportedly told him that Mr. Harish Rao would hold discussions with him.
Mr. Ramesh, who had won from Wardhannapet constituency on BRS ticket twice, is a strong claimant for the Warangal SC reserved Lok Sabha seat if he joins the BJP. It is still not known whether Mr. Ramesh will budge to the request of the BRS leadership.
Konappa to join Congress
In another development, former MLA from Sirpur, Koneru Konappa, a strong man from Asifabad Kumuram Bheem district announced his decision to resign as district unit chief and also to the primary membership of the party.
The trigger for his decision, he pointed out was the BRS-BSP alliance in the coming parliamentary elections. He is irked that the BRS supremo chose to join hands with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Dr. R. S. Praveen Kumar, who had contested against him in Sirpur constituency and caused dent in the BRS support base. Both lost the elections to BJP’s Palvai Bharat.
Mr. Konappa along with his brother Koneru Krishna and his supporters will join the Congress party in the presence of Congress Minister Danasari Anusuya alias Seethakka.
Saidi Reddy’s audio clip causes flutter
A purported audio voice clip of former party MLA from Kodad, Saidi Reddy, doing rounds in social media is causing discomfiture to the BRS leadership. The MLA, it is understood, during a teleconference with his supporters in wake of his joining the BJP in New Delhi earlier this week had commented that the end was near for the BRS as leaders were afraid to contest the elections. He went on to make certain comments on how he had to take the decision to sail with BJP after being promised the BJP ticket from Nalgonda LS seat.
Trouble is also brewing in Bhuvanagiri BRS as former MLA Pyla Shekhar Reddy is said to be waiting to join the Congress bandwagon. It is strongly speculated that he is in the race for the Congress Lok Sabha ticket from Bhuvanagiri LS constituency, if he joins the party. The Congress leadership is in a bind as the Komatireddy brothers are staking claim to the seat and it is not yet clear if the party high command would concede to their demand.
