The political landscape in Telangana witnessed another shift as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Dr M. Sanjay Kumar joined the ruling Congress party, marking yet another setback for KCR’s party in the state.
The move came after Dr M. Sanjay Kumar met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday night and formally announced his decision to switch allegiance to the Congress. The Chief Minister, also the state unit President, welcomed Sanjay into the party fold during the meeting, which was attended by Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, former minister Sudershan Reddy, and Chief Minister’s advisor Vem Narender Reddy.
Sanjay Kumar, who secured a second consecutive term from the Jagtial Assembly constituency in Nizamabad district in the November 2023 elections, becomes the fifth BRS MLA to join the Congress since it assumed power in December last year.
This development follows closely on the heels of senior leader and former Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy’s switch to the Congress. Srinivas Reddy, also a BRS MLA and a prominent leader from Nizamabad district, joined the ruling party just two days prior to Sanjay’s move.
The BRS, which had initially won 39 seats in the 119-member Assembly, has seen a decline in its strength to 33 seats due to defections and recent electoral losses. The party faced a humiliating defeat in last month’s Lok Sabha polls, failing to secure any seats. Subsequently, it lost several leaders to both the Congress and the BJP.
The recent loss in the Secunderabad Cantonment by-election further underscored the challenges faced by KCR’s party, signaling a significant shift in political dynamics within the state.
Sources By Agencies
