More than a dozen senior leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samiti which includes former Ministers of Telangana, MP’s and MLA’s ditched Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and joined the Congress on Monday.

The rebel by the leaders come just ahead of the assembly elections in the state later this year.

The list of leaders who were a part of the coup includes former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, and several former legislator including Panyam Venkateswarlu, Koram Kanakaiah, and Kota Ram Babu. BRS MLC Narsa Reddy’s son Rakesh Reddy also joined Congress.

Interesting fact is former Minister Rao has made a comeback joining Congress, as he had quit the party in 2011 to join the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (now BRS).

The leaders were inducted into the Congress personally by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Rahul Gandhi.

Both Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Minister Rao earlier on Wednesday had announced of joining Congress soon, after holding a meeting with the Delhi high command. The duo leaders were suspended by the BRS in April for anti party activities.

The joining of the leaders comes as a shot in the arm for the Congress as the party strengthens its hope after its recent victory performance in the Karnataka elections.

Meanwhile, the move by the leaders also comes at a time when the BRS supremo and CM Rao recently marked his absence in the Opposition parties mega meet in Patna on June 23.

The Opposition meet witnessed leaders from at least 17 like-minded opposition parties from across the country which included Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Lalu Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi among others. Leaders from left were also a part of the meeting.

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