New Delhi: After winning his home state Karnataka, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has set his eyes on poll-bound Telangana even as he inducted several key leaders from ruling BRS into the party fold in an event at AICC headquarters in Delhi on Monday.
Former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former Telangana minister Jupally Krishna Rao and other BRS leaders joined the Congress in the presence of party Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Following the joining of senior leaders from the rival parties, Kharge, who has given a target of 80 out of the total 119 assembly seats to the state team, will review the poll strategy along with the AICC team and senior state leaders on June 27.
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Earlier in the day, AICC in charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre told ETV Bharat that several senior leaders including ex-ministers, ex-MLAs, ex-MLCs from the BRS and the BJP will join the Congress today in the presence of Kharge. "Their joining shows that the winds have changed in Telangana and the Congress is on a come-back trail. We will repeat Karnataka in Telangana as well,” he said, adding “Khargeji will chair a strategy session on the coming polls on June 27."
According to party insiders, around 40 senior leaders from the rival BRS and the BJP are expected to join the Congress over the coming days. Former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Jupalli Rao, who came along with several of their supporters, had met state unit chief Revanth Reddy and CLP leader Vikramark Bhatti over the past few days and wanted to join the Congress in the presence of Kharge.
A grand show suited the grand old party, said Congress insiders, as the party is banking on the BRS anti-incumbency in Telangana which will have assembly polls later this year. “Not only this, senior BJP leaders like Etela Rajender and Raj Gopal Reddy are also expected to join the Congress over the coming days,” said a senior AICC functionary.
According to Thakre, the target of 80 seats set by the Congress chief was ambitious but not difficult to achieve as there is a groundswell of support in favour of the Congress in the southern state. “The party leaders have been travelling across the state to connect with the voters and highlight the shortcomings of the state government. There are no jobs and no social security and corruption is high. Like Karnataka, people want a change in Telangana too. The Karnataka effect will be there in Telangana and the people can see that the Congress delivers on its promises,” said Thakre.
The AICC in charge said that former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who is tracking the Telangana polls closely, has been targeting the ruling BRS and had discounted rumours that the grand old party will ally with BRS to fight the BJP. “We are fighting both the BRS and the BJP. The BRS is the B team of the BJP. Only the Congress can defeat the two. That is why the BRS leaders attack only the Congress and its leaders,” said Thakre.
Congress insiders said that was the reason why BRS had not been invited to the recent opposition meeting in Patna on June 25 but it got publicized as the BRS boycotting the conclave.
