New Delhi:
In another blow to former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Chevella MP Ranjith Reddy on Sunday quit the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and joined the ruling Congress party.
On his official X account, he cited the “current political environment” behind his (sudden but expected) resignation. He also shared his resignation letter on the Weibo platform.
“I sincerely thank the party for the valuable opportunity to address and resolve critical issues affecting the residents of erstwhile Rangareddy and Vikarabad districts. Your confidence in my abilities has enabled me to effectively serve the electorate of Chewela, my parliamentary constituency,” Mr. Reddy wrote in his resignation letter to Mr. Rao.
“I sincerely thank you for your unwavering support throughout this journey. Unfortunately, due to the current political situation in Telangana, I have taken the difficult decision to choose another path. It is with a heavy heart that I hereby submit “I Resign from the BRS party and give up my party membership. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the support and recognition the party has given me during my tenure. “
I am writing this letter to inform all my supporters and people that I have submitted my formal letter of resignation to @BRSparty
I would like to express my gratitude to the BRS Party for providing me with meaningful opportunities and cooperation in my service to the people of… pic.twitter.com/tCZ4N9Kbo8
— Dr. Ranjith Reddy (@DrRanjithReddy) March 17, 2024
Hours after his resignation, Mr Reddy joined the Congress in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and other senior party leaders.
Chevella BRS MP Ranjith Reddy, Khairatabad BRS MLA Dan Nagender joined the Congress party in the presence of Chief Minister, TPCC Chairman Mr. Revanth Reddy, AICC Chief Deepadas Munshi.#joincongresspic.twitter.com/4hPJhvYT0k
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) March 17, 2024
K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, has seen some MPs from his party defect to other parties in the past few weeks.
Earlier on Saturday, BRS MP from Warangal Pasunoori Dayakar joined the ruling Congress party.
Recently, BRS MPs from Zaheerabad and Nagarkunur, BB Patil and P Ramulu respectively, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BRS has been at a disadvantage after losing in the recently held Telangana Assembly elections and has been struggling to find candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP, on the other hand, does not have enough candidates and has been considering bringing in leaders from other parties.
BB Patil from Zaheerabad was fielded a day after joining the party. The BJP has also appointed Bharat Prasad as the Nagarkurnool (SC reserved) constituency, days after his father P Ramulu resigned from the KCR-led BRS. candidate.
The elections will be held on May 13 in Telangana.