The ‘Operation Akarsh’ of the ruling Congress party in Telangana took off minutes before Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced that he was opening the ‘gates’ with sitting Chevella MP of the BRS Ranjit Reddy and BRS MLA from Khairatabad Danam Nagender joining the Congress.
They joined in the presence of Mr. Revanth Reddy and AICC Telangana incharge Deepa Dasmunsi. Mr. Nagender met the Chief Minister two days ago and claimed on March 16 that he would not leave the BRS ultimately switched sides.
Chevella MP, Ranjit Reddy, who was expected to leave the BRS also joined the Congress at the same time. Earlier, he sent his resignation to the BRS party chief.
It is believed that Mr. Ranjit Reddy may get the Congress ticket from Chevella while Mr. Nagender may be asked to contest as Parliament member from Secunderabad against Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.
As the Chief Minister indicated this may be the beginning of several defections from the BRS in the coming days to the Congress party that completed 100 days in governance on March 17. Sources said at least 15 to 16 MLAs are already in touch with the Congress and they might leave the BRS soon. Congress is desperate to diminish the BRS strength in the Assembly and enforce the humiliation it faced from the BRS government after the 2014 and 2018 Assembly elections when the BRS encouraged big time defections and merging the Congress Legislature Party into the BRSLP.
Danam Nagender may be the first of several BRS MLAs from the city to join the ruling party that wants to strengthen itself in Secunderabad, Chevella and Malkajgiri Parliament constituencies that are spread in and around of Hyderabad.
Mr. Nagender was originally a Congressman but joined the BRS ahead of the 2018 elections and won in 2018 and 2023 from the same party. He had worked as a Minister from 2009 to 2014 in the Congress governments.
