Published Mar 18, 2026 | 4:42 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 18, 2026 | 4:42 PM
T Jeevan Reddy.
Synopsis: A sidelined T Jeevan Reddy is mulling over leaving the Congress, a party for which he had dedicated more than 40 years. With the party welcoming defectors from the BRS, Reddy has been feeling suffocated in the Congress fold.
In an apparent blow — the first after coming to power in Telangana in 2023 — to the Congress, veteran leader and former minister T Jeevan Reddy is on the verge of ending his more than four decades’ association with the party.
He is likely to join the main Opposition party, the BRS.
Sources close to Reddy, and his recent public statements, indicated that he was feeling “suffocated” in the party ever since Jagtial MLA Dr M Sanjay Kumar defected from the BRS and received a warm welcome in the Congress. The welcome was accorded without consulting Reddy.
It may be recalled that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had lauded Reddy’s translation skills. The Telangana leader had translated Gandhi’s speeches.
The situation became serious following the murder of one of Reddy’s key supporters, leading to accusations that the Congress leadership consistently sidelined loyalists like him in favour of turncoats.
Reddy, a six-time former MLA from Jagtial, has been an important leader in Telangana politics for decades. A few days ago, his supporters removed all Congress flags and flex banners from his residence in Jagtial district, replacing them with new ones featuring only his photograph and festival greetings for Ugadi, Sri Rama Navami, and Hanuman Jayanti.
The banners described him as “Mee Jana Jeevanudu” (Your Man of the People), with no reference to the Congress party or its leaders — a clear signal of distancing.
The roots of the crisis could be traced back to June 2024, when Dr Kumar — the BRS MLA from Jagtial who had defeated Reddy in the 2023 Assembly elections — quit the BRS and joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Jeevan Reddy was not consulted about the move, despite being the senior-most Congress face in the district. He publicly expressed displeasure, stating that the party was giving importance to defectors over long-standing loyalists.
Matters took a tragic and violent turn in October 2024 when Reddy’s confidant, Maru Ganga Reddy (56), was stabbed to death in broad daylight, allegedly by Bathni Santosh, a follower of Dr Kumar. Reddy staged a protest on the Jagtial-Dharmapuri Road, decrying the lack of security for Congress workers even under a party-led government.
In a strongly worded letter to Congress high command, including Gandhi, he blamed the state unit’s policy of encouraging BRS defections for eroding trust and directly linked the murder to the internal rift.
He contrasted Ganga Reddy’s four decades of unwavering loyalty with Dr Kumar’s recent entry, questioning whether the party could run the state without “wooing” opposition MLAs at the cost of its own cadre.
Since then, Reddy has repeatedly alleged that he has been “scuttled” and systematically sidelined.
During the Jagtial municipal elections, his supporters were denied party tickets (B-forms) while those in the camp of Dr Kumar received preferential treatment.
The chairperson post in the municipality was also handed to a Dr Kumar follower. Reddy, who had hoped for a Rajya Sabha nomination, was overlooked once again.
He accused Dr Kumar of interfering in Congress’s internal affairs, candidate selection, and even offering him unsolicited advice to “work together.”
Reddy, in a stinging attack on his bete noir at a news conference on Tuesday, 17 March, questioned Sanjay Kumar’s loyalty.
“Nobody knows which party Sanjay Kumar belongs to… Is it right for him to interfere in Congress’s internal matters and candidate selection? Who is he to offer me such a proposal?”
He held Dr Kumar and his backers primarily responsible for the current crisis.
The veteran leader made his strongest statement yet at the media conference. “I have already made a decision. I will announce it within three days. A majority of party activists and my supporters have advised me to quit, and I will respect their opinion.”
He described the impending break as painful — “It is painful to break a relationship of over 40 years” — but added that he would continue working sincerely for the people wherever he goes.
The announcement is expected at a massive public meeting in Jagtial.
Close associates have gone further, posting on social media that Reddy would formally join the BRS on 25 March at a public meeting in Jagtal in the presence of working president K T Rama Rao.
Speculation is rife that extensive consultations have already taken place. Earlier this week, Reddy neither confirmed nor denied the rumours when asked by followers, simply reiterating that he “might not continue in the party for long.”
This development comes at a sensitive time for the Congress government in Telangana, which has successfully inducted several BRS MLAs since coming to power in December 2023.
However, the Jagtial episode has exposed deep fissures over the “defection policy,” with loyalists feeling neglected. BRS leaders have already begun reaching out, with KTR reportedly addressing Reddy respectfully as “Garu” in recent comments.
Political observers see this as a significant setback for Congress in north Telangana and a potential boost for the BRS ahead of future local and national polls. As the 25 March deadline nears, the political landscape in Jagtial and beyond is set for a dramatic change.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
