Despite the enhanced numerical strength, the 2023 elections did not yield favourable results for those who switched allegiance to the BRS.
12 MLAs of Congress, 2 TDP, one AIFB and one Independent had shifted to BRSpost 2018 election. (Supplied)
In June 2019, the TRS, now known as the BRS, pulled off a coup when 12 MLAs — comprising one-third of the Congress’ strength — crossed the floor to it.
This “mission” was accomplished without triggering the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law. The strategic move was facilitated by the fact that the 12 MLAs, accounting for two-thirds of the total 18 Congress lawmakers in the House, formed a cohesive group within the party.
This group allowed them to act collectively and merge with another political party without being subject to anti-defection consequences.
At the time of this political realignment, the BRS already commanded a comfortable majority with 88 MLAs, and subsequently secured an additional seat in Huzurabad, previously held by the Congress.
Two more MLAs from the TDP joined the TRS, along with an independent MLA and a legislator from the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).
In the 2018 elections, the BRS initially won 88 seats. However, by the time the 2023 elections arrived, the party’s strength had increased to 102 MLAs. This growth persisted even after the loss of two MLA seats to the BJP in Huzurabad and Dubbak.
Interestingly, despite the enhanced numerical strength, the 2023 elections did not yield favourable results for the turncoats who had switched allegiance to the BRS.
In Yellareddy, Jajala Surender, who had won by a majority of 35,000 votes against the then-TRS leader Eanugu Ravinder Reddy in 2018, faced a different outcome in 2023. This time, his former party colleague, Congress leader Madan Mohan Rao K, defeated him by 24,000 votes.
Pilot Rohith Reddy, the MLA who joined the TRS in 2019 and was a notable figure in the anti-poaching attempt by the BJP earlier in the year, won the Tandur seat on a Congress ticket in 2018. He defeated the then-BRS minister Patnam Mahender Reddy by a margin of 2,000 votes.
However, in 2023, his luck took a downturn as the Congress candidate, B Manohar Reddy, emerged victorious by a margin of 6,000 votes.
In Palair, Kandala Upender Reddy won the seat on a Congress ticket in the 2018 election but switched over to the BRS in 2019.
This time, former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy contested on a Congress ticket and defeated Upender Reddy by an impressive margin of over 56,000 votes.
In the Nakrekal constituency, traditionally a CPI seat, Congress candidate Chirumarthi Lingaiah defeated communist MLA Nomula Narsimhaiah in 2009. Although the BRS defeated him in 2014, Lingaiah reclaimed the seat on a Congress ticket in 2018.
However, in 2019, he pledged allegiance to the BRS. In the 2023 elections, Lingaiah, in his battle against Vemula Veersham of the Congress, lost by 68,000 votes.
In the Kollapur constituency, Beeram Harshvardhan Reddy of the Congress had emerged victorious against Jupally Krishna Reddy, a BRS candidate and then minister, in 2018. However, Harshvardhan Reddy joined the BRS within a few months. In the 2023 elections, with Jupally Krishna Reddy as the Congress candidate and Harshvardhan Reddy as the BRS candidate, the tables turned. Krishna Reddy defeated his opponent by around 30,000 votes.
Moving to the Bhupalpalle constituency, Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, a Congress veteran who joined the BRS in 2019, faced stiff competition in 2023. Gandra Satyanarayana Rao, the Congress candidate, defeated Venkat Ramana Rao with a substantial margin of 52,000 votes.
In Pinapaka, a Scheduled Tribe constituency, Rega Kantha Rao defeated Payam Venkateswarlu of the BRS in 2018. However, both Rao and Venkateswarlu switched sides to the BRS and the Congress, respectively, in 2019. In the 2023 elections, Payam Venkateswarlu emerged victorious, defeating Kantha Rao by a margin of 34,000 votes.
In the Yellandu constituency, Banoth Haripriya, a Congress candidate, defeated Kanakaiah Koram, who had initially won on a Congress ticket in 2014 and later joined the BRS. In 2019, Haripriya also switched to the BRS, but in 2023, Kanakaiah Koram returned to the Congress and defeated the BRS leader by an overwhelming margin of 57,000 votes.
In Kothagudem, the political journey of Vanama Venkateswara Rao has been marked by multiple defections. In 2009, he contested the seat on a Congress ticket but was defeated. Subsequently, he aligned with the YSRCP but lost in 2014. In 2018, Venkateswara Rao returned to the Congress and emerged victorious. However, in 2019, he opted to switch parties once again, this time choosing the BRS.
Jalagam Venkat Rao had won the seat in 2014 on a BRS ticket. He contested against Venkateswara Rao in 2018. Additionally, Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao of the CPI had defeated Venkateswara Rao in 2009. In the latest election, the Congress gave the seat to the CPI, which fielded Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao. Meanwhile, Venkat Rao had left the BRS and joined the AIFB.
The 2023 election for Kothagudem became a three-way contest involving CPI, AIFB, and BRS, represented by its sitting MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao. However, the outcome turned out to be disappointing for Venkateswara Rao, as CPI’s Sambasiva Rao emerged victorious. Jalagam Venkat Rao secured the second position, relegating the sitting MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao to the third slot.
Sabitha Indra Reddy, a confidante of former CM YS Rajashekar Reddy, who was affectionately named Chevella Kumari, has had a noteworthy political career. She served as a Congress MLA three times before 2018 and held a ministerial position in the YSR government. In 2018, she contested from Maheshwaram and won the seat on a Congress ticket.
In 2019, Indra Reddy led a group of Congress MLAs who joined the BRS, and was appointed the Education Minister. Despite the political shift, she successfully retained her seat, overcoming challenges from both Congress and BJP. In a closely contested election, she defeated the nearest BJP candidate, Andela Sriramulu, by a slim margin of 26 votes.
Similarly, D Sudheer Reddy, the LB Nagar MLA, who switched from the Congress to the BRS in 2019, defeated the BJP’s Sama Ranga Reddy by a comfortable margin of 22,000 votes.
However, Athram Sakku from Asifabad, another turncoat who had won in 2018 on a Congress ticket and joined the BRS, was denied a ticket. Instead, his opponent in the 2018 elections, Kova Laxmi, was given the ticket. The dynamics of ticket distribution reflect the complexities and strategies employed by political parties in managing candidate selection.
Mecha Nageshwar Rao, who was the TDP MLA from Aswaraopeta in 2018 and later joined the BRS, tasted defeat this time. He was defeated by Congress candidate Adinarayana Jare by around 28,000 votes.
Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, who was a TDP MLA in 2018 and later joined the BRS, also has the same fate as Nageshwar Rao in Sathupalle. Congress candidate Matta Ragamayee emerged victorious, defeating Venkata Veeraiah by over 19,000 votes.
Korukanti Chander Patil, who had won the Ramagundam seat on an AIFB ticket and later switched to the BRS lost to Makkan Singh Raj Thakur of the Congress by a margin of over 56,000 votes.
In Wyra, independent MLA Madanlal Banoth, who won the seat in 2018 but later aligned with the BRS, faced defeat again. In the 2018 election, he was defeated by Congress candidate Ramdas Maloth by over 33,000.
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