Desertions from BRS: KCR in damage control

Hyderabad: With speculation rife that some BRS leaders, including MPs. are being approached by the Congress to shift, party supremo K Chandrashekar Rao is taking measures to pacify the leaders and ensure they don’t jump to other parties.

According to sources, two national parties, including the Congress and the BJP, have been approaching the BRS leaders, particularly MPs, to join their party. It is said some may join these parties in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. Sources said the BRS chief had meetings with senior leaders on the issue and has alerted seniors like KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao to talk to the leaders. Already Peddapally MP B Venkatesh Netha has joined the Congress in the presence of CM Revanth Reddy and senior leaders.

Sources said the MP from Zaheerabad BB Patil was approached by the BJP; if everything goes right he may contest on the saffron party ticket in the ensuing elections. Similarly, BRS senior leader G Nagesh was being persuaded by the BJP to contest. The party is contemplating to change sitting candidate Soyam Bapu Rao (Adilabad) and two names, including Nagesh and Ramesh Rathod, are doing rounds for ticket. It is learnt the BJP leaders are persuading Nagesh to join the party.

Sources also said the Congress leaders are also looking to get the BRS MPs into the party. There are reports that MPs like M Srinivas Reddy, M Kavitha, K Ramulu were approached by the Congress. It may be mentioned here that the Congress has been taking up ‘Operation Akarsh’ to attract BRS leaders into the party with an aim to get more than 12 LS seats. The CM is learnt to have entrusted the responsibility to the MLAs in the districts. It would be interesting to see whether the BRS leaders defect or remain in the party.