In a surprising political reversal, former Telangana MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who defected from the Congress to the BJP last year, is poised to rejoin the Congress just weeks before the upcoming Assembly polls. Reddy’s decision to leave the BJP and align with the Congress is driven by his determination to “trounce” the incumbent K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) government in Telangana. He believes that the “people’s mood is in favor of the Congress.”
Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy initially made headlines in August last year when he resigned from the Congress, resulting in the vacating of the Munugode Assembly seat. Subsequently, in the bypoll that followed, Reddy contested as a BJP candidate but was defeated by Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, a member of KCR’s party, by a margin of approximately 10,000 votes.
The Munugode by-election, which took place last November, is notable for being one of the most costly polls in the country’s history due to the significant campaign spending by the competing parties in their efforts to win over voters. Election officials reported the seizure of cash amounting to ₹8 crore and 5,000 liters of liquor in the run-up to the election. Additionally, it attracted nationwide attention as the ‘most-watched’ election, with 48 CCTV cameras monitoring the polling process, which was webcast across 298 police stations.
Speaking about his decision to leave the BJP, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy declared, “My aim is to trounce the KCR government. The people’s mood is in favor of Congress, so I am abiding by the people’s will.” Interestingly, Reddy’s brother, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, is a Congress MP representing Bhuvanagiri in Parliament.
As the Assembly elections in Telangana approach, the Congress is making a concerted effort to challenge the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government. Key leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have actively participated in campaign events in the state, criticizing KCR for promoting his family members at the expense of addressing the state’s issues.
This dynasty-based criticism has prompted a sharp retort from KCR’s son, KT Rama Rao, and his daughter, K Kavitha, who have questioned the credibility of the Gandhi siblings targeting them over family politics, given their own political lineage.
Sources By Agencies
