The number of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs joining the Congress has touched double digit with Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy joining the ruling party in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and senior Congressmen on Monday.
Mr. Mahipal Reddy is the 10th MLA of the BRS to have taken the plunge into the ruling party. Along with Gali Anil Kumar, who unsuccessfully contested in the recent Parliament elections on the BRS ticket from Zaheerabad constituency, also returned to the Congress that he had left just before the Parliament elections.
Minister for Health Damodar Rajanarsimha, Minister for Revenue Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, TPCC working president T Jagga Reddy were among present. Mr. Mahipal Reddy’s move was expected as he had met the CM a day earlier expressing his willingness to join the party.
The exodus continued despite BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao trying to infuse confidence among the MLAs that they had a bright political future in the BRS as it was bound to bounce back. It is a serious worry for the BRS as several MLAs who met KCR recently had defected within days.
The ruling party is confident of another 16 MLAs joining it to make the joinings legal as it needs to split at least 26 MLAs out of the 38 BRS MLAs, and merge the Legislature Party into Congress. This was the practice of the BRS as well in its two terms in 2014 and 2019 when it merged the TDPLP and also the CLP to give legal protection to the defections.
