Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy has stepped up his efforts to lure more leaders from other parties to Congress in the run-up to next month’s assembly election.
After successfully inviting a couple of legislators, some former ministers and former MPs of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the Congress fold during the last four months, he is trying to woo more leaders from BRS and BJP.
With some of those who defected to Congress finding a place in the first list of candidates announced on Sunday, more leaders from the ruling party as well as BJP appear keen to switch loyalties.
After making some key leaders in undivided Khammam and Mahabubnagar districts join the Congress, Revanth Reddy is now focusing on districts like Nizamabad, Adilabad and Karimnagar.
The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief on Tuesday met sitting MLA of BRS from Boath constituency, Rathod Bapu Rao, who resigned from the party after he was denied re-nomination.
Bapu Rao quit BRS last month after the leadership decided to give the ticket to Anil Jadhav. Revanth Reddy invited the MLA to join the Congress party and he is likely to join soon.
Revanth Reddy also welcomed BRS floor leader in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Madhapur corporator, Jagadishwar Goud and other leaders into the party on Tuesday.
Both Bapu Rao and Jagadishwar Reddy are likely to be given party tickets from Boath and Serilingampally constituencies.
Confident of wresting power from BRS, the state Congress chief has been meeting some key leaders of both the BRS and BJP to invite them to join the party.
He met former ministers Mandava Venkateswara Rao and Revuri Prakash Reddy of BRS and BJP respectively and invited them to join the Congress party. Both the leaders were also reportedly offered party tickets.
In another development, AICC incharge Manikra Thakare along with TPCC campaign committee chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud met former MLA Narayan Rao Patel and invited him to join Congress. Patel is also likely to be allotted ticket from Mudhole constituency in Nirmal district.
Former MLC Akula Lalita, who quit BRS on Monday, is also likely to join the Congress party. Chairpersons of Huzurnagar and Bodhan municipalities also joined the Congress party on Monday.
Following the victory of Congress party in Karnataka elections, several leaders from BRS have defected to Congress. They included former minister Jupally Krishna Rao and former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. While Jupally has been given the ticket by Congress, Srinivas Reddy is likely to figure in the second list.
The Congress on Sunday announced candidates for 55 out of 119 assembly seats. It is likely to accommodate more defectors from BRS and BJP in the second list.
After the BRS announced candidates for 115 seats in August, the sitting legislators and aspirants who were denied tickets had started looking at Congress. A sitting MLA Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao, who was renominated by BRS from Malkajgiri constituency in Greater Hyderabad, quit BRS as the party had denied ticket to his son Rohith from Medak. The father-son duo joined Congress and both have been included in the first list of candidates.
Another key leader who quit BRS and joined Congress is former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao. He too is likely to get a Congress ticket.
MLC Kasireddy Narayan Reddy was also rewarded with ticket from Kalwakurthy barely a month after he resigned from BRS to join Congress party. He switched loyalties after BRS leadership had ignored his demand for the ticket and decided to retain sitting MLA G. Jaipal Yadav.
Another defector who managed to get a Congress ticket is Sarita Thirupathaiah. A former chairperson of Gadwal Zilla Parishad, she had quit BRS to join Congress party recently.