Telangana: BRS leader and former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy likely to join BJP soon

Reddy's decision allegedly came days after his security was scaled down due to a decrease in security threat to him.

BySouth First Desk

Published Jan 09, 2023 | 10:20 PMUpdatedJan 09, 2023 | 10:21 PM

Reddy won from the Khammam Parliamentary constituency on the YSRCP ticket in the 2014 elections, but later joined the BRS. (Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy/Twitter)

Senior BRS leader and former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is likely to join the BJP in the third week of January.

Reddy, who is an industrialist, is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 18 January in New Delhi, along with other senior BJP leaders from Telangana, said sources.

He is expected to join the BJP in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be visiting Hyderabad on 19 January, after taking Shah’s blessings.

Modi will be in Hyderabad to lay foundation stones for various projects worth ₹7,076 crore.

The battle ahead

Reddy won from the Khammam Parliamentary constituency on the YSRCP ticket in the 2014 elections, but later joined the TRS (now the BRS).

However, he could not contest the polls in the 2019 elections as the ruling party denied him a ticket.

Since then, speculations have been rife that he plans to quit the party, and they blew up in the past few days.

Sources added that the ruling party leaders convinced Reddy, on several occasions, that his services would be utilised for the development of the BRS.

Reddy recently made the decision to join the BJP and contest the next Parliamentary elections, terming the elections due this year as a “Kurukshetra battle”.

Also read: TS Congress files complaint against 12 MLAs who joined BRS

Downgraded security

Reddy’s decision allegedly came days after his security was scaled down due to an apparent decrease in security threat to him.

Reddy used to have four-plus-four personal security officers. After a review of his security threat perception, it was reduced to two-plus-two security officers.

This happened just a few days ago, after Reddy attended a meeting with his supporters at his house in Khammam and discussed politics and the next Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.