June 21st 2024.
Hyderabad: In a shocking turn of events, senior leader and former Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy announced his resignation from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party on Friday. This unexpected move came as a huge setback for the BRS, as Srinivas Reddy is a prominent leader from the Nizamabad district.
The ruling Congress party wasted no time in extending an invitation to Srinivas Reddy to join their party. In fact, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy himself paid a personal visit to Srinivas Reddy's house to extend the invitation. The former Speaker graciously accepted the offer and expressed his willingness to work under Revanth Reddy's leadership.
In a statement to the media, Srinivas Reddy shared his reasons for joining the Congress party. He stated that he is ready to work with a leadership that is actively delivering on their promises. He also praised the Congress government for their efforts towards the development of agriculture, farmers, and irrigation projects.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, welcomed Srinivas Reddy and his son into the Congress party. CM Revanth Reddy assured the former Speaker of a prominent position within the party and commended him for his contributions towards the development of agriculture and farmers' welfare.
During the visit, the Chief Minister also sought Srinivas Reddy's suggestions and promised to take them into consideration for the betterment of the state's farmers. However, the visit was not without some drama as tensions rose outside Srinivas Reddy's house when some BRS leaders arrived and demanded to meet the MLA. The police intervened and detained the BRS leaders, including Balka Suman.
Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has had a long and illustrious political career, serving as a minister for agriculture and cooperation in the first BRS government between 2014 and 2018. He was then appointed as the Speaker after BRS retained power in 2018. Prior to his time with BRS, he had also served as a minister twice in Telugu Desam Party governments in united Andhra Pradesh.
In 2011, Srinivas Reddy left TDP to join TRS in support of the demand for statehood to Telangana. He was re-elected from the Banswada constituency in a by-election that same year. In the 2023 election, he won the Banswada seat for a fifth consecutive term, having previously won on a TDP ticket in 1994 and 1999.
Srinivas Reddy's defection to Congress marks the third senior leader to leave BRS, following in the footsteps of Rajya Sabha member K. Kesava Rao and former Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari. He is also the fourth BRS MLA to switch to Congress since their victory in the 2023 election, reducing the party's strength from 39 to 34 in the 119-member Assembly. This comes after their recent defeat in the Secunderabad Cantonment by-election to the ruling party.
Srinivas Reddy's resignation is the first major blow to BRS after their humiliating defeat in last month's Lok Sabha polls, where the party failed to secure a single seat. This unexpected turn of events has left many wondering about the future of the party and the impact it will have on the political landscape of Telangana.
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