Former Telangana BJP MP G Vivek Venkatswamy on Wednesday joined Congress after resigning from the saffron party ahead of the polls. He crossed over to the Congress after tendering his resignation to the saffron party earlier in the day. Joining Congress, he said that there was a need to unseat Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao from the state, alleging that the KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi was working for own family and not the state.
"BRS party has been working for their own family and not for the people. So there is a need for everyone to work unitedly and unseat CM KCR. (Election) ticket is not important. I will work as per the decision of the party," Venkatswamy told reporters.
The elections to 119-member Telangana Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 30 and the votes will be counted on December 3 along with Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
In a setback to the saffron party ahead of the legislative polls, Venkatswamy conveyed his decision to walk away from the party in a letter to Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy as he joined the Congress in the presence of AICC former president Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Revanth Reddy said he wholeheartedly welcomed Venkatswamy to join the Congress party which he accepted.
Venkatswamy's exit from the saffron party comes just days after another party senior leader Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy resigned from the BJP and joined Congress. Reddy has contested the by-poll for the Munugode Assembly constituency last year on BJP's ticket but could not win.