Rama Krishna Sangem
Congress in Telangana got a leg up after two senior leaders former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, and 33 other senior leaders decided to join the party on June 26, Monday. They announced their decision after meeting Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge at AICC office in Delhi.
Ponguleti, however, will formally join Congress at a public meeting in Khammm on July 2, Sunday. Rahul Gandhi will come to the meeting to welcome them. Among those who were with Ponguleti and Jupally include former legislators like Gurunath Reddy and Arikela Narsa Reddy and Zilla Parishad chairman – Koran Kanakaiah and fomer Telangana SC. corporation chairman Pidamarthi Ravi. Jupally will join the party later in July at a meeting in Mahabubnagar district.
Ponguleti and Jupally decision to join Congress on Monday ended six months long hectic talks and speculation over their political future. After they left ruling BRS led by CM KCR. Ponguleti held a series of informal meetings with his followers and friends in the old Khammam district which account s for 10 assembly seats, since January this year. Similarly, Jupally, a leader from old Mahabubnagar districts with 14 MLA seats, held similar meetings.
Rahul Gandhi who closeted with them at AICC headquarters termed their entry into Congress as “Ghar Wapsi” and expressed happiness. AICC senior functionary Pawan Khera who held a media conference with them at AICC office said winds of political change are blowing across the country and more so in Telangana. “The winds of change haven’t begun with Congress win in Karnataka, but with Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra,” said Khera.
The mood in Congress was upbeat at AICC office on Monday as the entire Telangana party leaders including PCC president Revanth Reddy were present. Congress MPs Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, senior leader Jana Reddy, MLA Sithakka, former MP Madhu Yashki and several others were there. Likewise, AICC leaders KC Venugopal and party in charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare too were present.
“Don’t want split in anti-KCR vote”
Speaking to media persona, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy explained that their decision was based on plans to see anti-CM KCR votes should not be split among different opposition parties. After Karnataka assembly elections, the situation clearly turned against BJP and this is a good development. We – me and Jupally – at one stage thought of floating a new regional party to fight KCR, but dropped the idea to avoid split in anti-KCR votes,” said the former MP.
Ponguleti said, all the surveys he commissioned in the last six months found that a majority of people don’t want CM KCR’s BRS government. “CM KCR is running the government through false promises and unimplementable schemes only to fool around people. So, we finally came to the view that joining Congress alone will serve our purpose,” said Ponguleti. Jupally too echoed the same views and vowed to defeat BRS in the coming assembly elections in Telangana.
Later, Ponguleti and Jupally called on Congress top leaders Priyanka and Sonia Gandhi. These two leaders wanted to convey to Priyanka and Sonia that they were coming into Congress with a large number of followers and that their interests too be protected. Of course there are some Khammam Congress leaders who oppose entry of Ponguleti into the party. Ponguleti has followers in all 10 assembly segments of Khammam district.
Those who oppose Ponguleti fear that the former MP might ask tickets for his followers in all the segments – including three general seats – Khammam, Palaru and Kothagudem. Other 5 seats are reserved for STs and two for SCs. Ponguleti claims that he and his followers can easily win at least 7-8 seats out of the total 10 seats. Ponguleti won as Khammam MP in 2014 on YCP and later joined TRS. He didn’t get TRS ticket in 2019.
