Hyderabad, after its defeat in last year's Legislative Assembly elections, K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi is now facing defection of its MLAs and MLCs to the ruling Congress in Telangana.
Till date, seven MLAs and six MLCs from BRS have crossed over to the Congress since the Assembly elections. Several other leaders, including BRS Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao, his daughter and Hyderabad mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal, also joined the Congress.
Keshav Rao, however, resigned from her post after joining the Congress.
As the ruling Congress and the BJP seek to consolidate their gains in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, the BRS faces an uphill task to revive itself after the exodus of leaders.
BRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao has been holding meetings with party leaders and activists, assuring that the party would bounce back as the ruling party is "rapidly losing its popularity".
The series of defections from the BRS began with party MLA from Khairatabad here Danam Nagender crossing over to Congress in March and Gadwal MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy joining the ruling party on Saturday.
Apart from the MLAs, six BRS MLCs switched sides to the ruling party late on Thursday night.
Congress sources claimed that more BRS MLAs are likely to defect to the ruling party in the coming days.
The BRS won 39 of the 119 Assembly constituencies in the elections held last year, while the Congress came to power by winning 64 seats.
BRS MLA from Secunderabad canton G Lasya Nanditha died in a road accident earlier this year. The Congress won the bypoll for the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly segment, leading to an increase in its strength to 65.
With the addition of the seven BRS MLAs who crossed over to the Congress, the strength of the grand old party increased to 71 in the Assembly.
With the defection of the six MLCs, the Congress strength increases to 10 in the 40-member Legislative Council.
The BRS has regretted the defection of the MLAs and has requested their disqualification by the Assembly speaker.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao attacked Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the defection of MLAs and asked him if this is the way the latter will safeguard the Constitution.
"BRS MP Keshava Rao tendered his resignation after joining the Congress party. Welcome his decision. What about the BRS MLA who defected and contested the Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate? What about half a dozen other BRS MLAs who defected to Congress?” Rama Rao said in X.
"@RahulGandhi is this how you are going to defend the Constitution? If you can't make BRS MLAs resign, how would the nation trust that you committed to schedule 10 amendments as per Congress manifesto? Yeh Kaisa Nyay Patra Hain ?" he said.
However, Congress MLC and state Congress working president Mahesh Kumar Goud hit back at the BRS, recalling that the BRS (then TRS) encouraged defections when it was in power (BRS had inducted 12 Congress MLAs in 2019). .
How can BRS now talk about defections? he asked.
Did BRS make those who defected resign from their positions?, he said.
BRS often talked about evicting the democratically elected Congress government from power and the BRS MLAs did not approve it, he said.
The BRS suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls as it drew a blank.
The Congress and the BJP shared honors by winning eight each of the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi retained the Hyderabad seat from him.
The defection of legislators and other leaders came in the backdrop of BRS MLC K Kavitha's imprisonment in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Kavitha's arrest ahead of the Lok Sabha elections was a setback for the regional party.
Till date, seven MLAs and six MLCs from BRS have crossed over to the Congress since the Assembly elections. Several other leaders, including BRS Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao, his daughter and Hyderabad mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal, also joined the Congress.
Keshav Rao, however, resigned from her post after joining the Congress.
As the ruling Congress and the BJP seek to consolidate their gains in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, the BRS faces an uphill task to revive itself after the exodus of leaders.
BRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao has been holding meetings with party leaders and activists, assuring that the party would bounce back as the ruling party is "rapidly losing its popularity".
The series of defections from the BRS began with party MLA from Khairatabad here Danam Nagender crossing over to Congress in March and Gadwal MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy joining the ruling party on Saturday.
Apart from the MLAs, six BRS MLCs switched sides to the ruling party late on Thursday night.
Congress sources claimed that more BRS MLAs are likely to defect to the ruling party in the coming days.
The BRS won 39 of the 119 Assembly constituencies in the elections held last year, while the Congress came to power by winning 64 seats.
BRS MLA from Secunderabad canton G Lasya Nanditha died in a road accident earlier this year. The Congress won the bypoll for the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly segment, leading to an increase in its strength to 65.
With the addition of the seven BRS MLAs who crossed over to the Congress, the strength of the grand old party increased to 71 in the Assembly.
With the defection of the six MLCs, the Congress strength increases to 10 in the 40-member Legislative Council.
The BRS has regretted the defection of the MLAs and has requested their disqualification by the Assembly speaker.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao attacked Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the defection of MLAs and asked him if this is the way the latter will safeguard the Constitution.
"BRS MP Keshava Rao tendered his resignation after joining the Congress party. Welcome his decision. What about the BRS MLA who defected and contested the Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate? What about half a dozen other BRS MLAs who defected to Congress?” Rama Rao said in X.
"@RahulGandhi is this how you are going to defend the Constitution? If you can't make BRS MLAs resign, how would the nation trust that you committed to schedule 10 amendments as per Congress manifesto? Yeh Kaisa Nyay Patra Hain ?" he said.
However, Congress MLC and state Congress working president Mahesh Kumar Goud hit back at the BRS, recalling that the BRS (then TRS) encouraged defections when it was in power (BRS had inducted 12 Congress MLAs in 2019). .
How can BRS now talk about defections? he asked.
Did BRS make those who defected resign from their positions?, he said.
BRS often talked about evicting the democratically elected Congress government from power and the BRS MLAs did not approve it, he said.
The BRS suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls as it drew a blank.
The Congress and the BJP shared honors by winning eight each of the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi retained the Hyderabad seat from him.
The defection of legislators and other leaders came in the backdrop of BRS MLC K Kavitha's imprisonment in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Kavitha's arrest ahead of the Lok Sabha elections was a setback for the regional party.
