SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
BRS dissidents who were denied Assembly tickets have started leaving the party. Dissident BRS MLAs and leaders are looking towards the Congress instead of the BJP.
Khanapur BRS MLA Rekha Naik and her husband Shyam Naik have joined the Congress. BRS MLA Bapu Rao Rathod and Malkajgiri BRS MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao are also likely to join the Congress.
Mynampally was given a ticket but his son was denied the Medak ticket. He attacked Finance Minister T. Harish Rao and held him responsible for his son not getting a BRS ticket. The angry Mynampally is thinking of leaving the BRS and at the same time, the BRS leadership is also planning to show him the door for attacking Health Minister Harish Rao.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Ghanpur MLA T. Rajaiah who was denied a BRS ticket is also planning to leave the party.
Asifabad MLA Atram Sakku won as an Independent in the last Assembly elections and later joined the BRS. He was also denied a BRS ticket. Atram Sakku is also planning to leave the party and is thinking whether to contest as an Independent again or join some other party.
The BRS leadership has kept four seats pending while announcing candidates. Of these four seats, the Jangaon Assembly seat is represented by BRS MLA Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy and Narsapur is represented by BRS MLA Chilumula Madan Reddy.
Most probably these two MLAs also may be denied tickets by the BRS leadership. If both are denied tickets they may also leave the party.
A close associate of KCR in the erstwhile Khammam district, Tummala Nageswar Rao, was also denied a ticket. Tummala is thinking of leaving BRS and is planning to join the Congress or the BJP.
The BRS leadership expected some dissidents to quit the party in disappointment at not getting Assembly tickets but it did not expect this much dissidence. It is common in every party for some dissidents to leave and join another party during elections.
Dissident BRS leaders may not have the strength to win in the Assembly elections as expected by the party leadership but they have the strength to defeat BRS candidates in their constituencies.
