The K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana has been experiencing a wave of defections of its MLAs and MLCs to the ruling Congress party. Telangana Congress MLA and former minister Danam Nagender made a striking assertion on Friday, claiming that the BRS would soon merge into the Congress. He stated that many leaders from K Chandrashekar Rao's party were ready to defect in the coming days.
"Around six MLAs will join in the next two days, and over the next 15 days, the entire BRS will be merged into the Congress. Only three or four MLAs will stay with KCR," Nagender said.
Danam Nagender, who defected from BRS to join the Congress in Telangana in March this year ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, had previously served as a minister in the Congress government in united Andhra Pradesh from 2009 to 2014. He joined TRS (now BRS) in 2018 and was elected to the Assembly from Khairatabad.
His comments come amid the ongoing defection of BRS MLAs and MLCs to the ruling Congress in Telangana. To date, seven MLAs and six MLCs from BRS have switched to the Congress since the Assembly polls. Other notable leaders, including BRS Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao and his daughter, Hyderabad Mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal, have also joined the Congress.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning his commitment to safeguarding the Constitution amid these defections. "BRS MP Keshava Rao tendered resignation after joining the Congress party. Welcome his decision. What about the BRS MLA who defected and contested the Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket? What about half a dozen other BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress?" Rama Rao said in a post on X.
"Rahul Gandhi, is this how you are going to uphold the Constitution? If you can't make BRS MLAs resign, how would the nation trust that you were committed to Schedule 10 amendments as per Congress manifesto? Yeh Kaisa Nyay Patra Hain?" he added.
In response to the defections, Chandrashekar Rao has been holding meetings with party leaders and activists, assuring them that the party would recover as the ruling party is "fast losing its popularity."
In addition to the MLAs, six BRS MLCs switched to the ruling party late on Thursday night. In the elections held last year, the BRS had won 39 of the total 119 Assembly constituencies, while Congress secured power by winning 64 seats.
