Jolt to BJP in Telangana as two leaders return to TRS (Lead)

Hyderabad, Oct 21 (IANS) In a big jolt to the BJP in Telangana ahead of the by-election to Munugode Assembly seat, two leaders on Friday quit the party and rejoined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Senior leader Dasoju Sravan and former chairman of Telangana Legislative Council, K. Swamy Goud joined the TRS.

It was a homecoming for both the leaders as they were associated with the TRS earlier. Sravan had quit the TRS in 2014 to join Congress while Swamy Goud had resigned from the TRS in 2020 to join the BJP.

This came a day after former MLA Bhishmaiah Goud also quit the saffron party to return to the TRS fold.

Their return is likely to give a boost to the TRS in its campaign for the November 3 by-election. The development is seen as a counter-attack by the TRS after it list former MP B. Narsaiah Goud to BJP three days ago.

After joining the TRS, Sravan called on Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He and Swamy Goud were earlier welcomed into the TRS by party's Working President K.T. Rama Rao.

Sravan resigned from the BJP in protest against what he called the distribution of money, meat and liquor by the party among voters in Munugode.

His resignation came less than three months after he quit the Congress and joined the saffron party.

Sravan, a former national spokesman of Congress, wrote a letter to BJP's Telangana unit President Bandi Sanjay Kumar explaining the reasons for his decision to resign from primary membership of the party. He alleged that the BJP is distributing money, meat and liquor among voters in Munugode Assembly constituency.

Sravan wrote that he had joined the BJP with many expectations but was disappointed over the directionless politics pursued by the party. He said BJP promised to do alternative politics but its approach in the Munugode by-election was disgusting.

He alleged that the BJP with no social responsibility was resorting to distribution of money bags, encouraging big contractors, and pursuing investment politics. "In such a situation it has become evident that there is no room for a leader like me coming from a weaker section of the society," he said

It was on August 5 that Sravan had resigned from the Congress. Alleging that there is total disorder in the party under the leadership of state unit President A. Revanth Reddy, he had said that he was not ready to live like a slave in the organisation and hence decided to resign.