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Former MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy quit the BJP and returned to the Congress on Wednesday, claiming that people were looking at the grand old party to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) from power in Telangana.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Reddy said, "The Congress is currently on a very strong footing in Telangana. Though the BJP is strong in some urban areas, the Congress wields significant influence on the people. The minorities and voters belonging to the SC/ST communities are also with the Congress, and the party appears to be best placed to bring down the KCR (K Chandrasekhar Rao) government in the state. The people are increasingly turning to the Congress in the hope that it will defeat the BRS government." "So, even though I thought about staying on in the BJP, a lot of people, especially my well-wishers, Congress workers and others, urged me to return to the party. I will contest from Munugode and will also request the (Congress) high command to also let me contest from the Gajwel seat against KCR. The Congress is on course to come to power in the state with more than 70 seats," he added. Speaking to ANI, he said what prompted his return was that the Congress was on a stronger footing in the rural areas of the state as compared to its rivals. "The people's pulse and the general ambience and prevailing political situation in the state are in favour of the Congress," he claimed. Earlier, Reddy made a bold claim on the outcome of the ensuing Assembly polls, saying that the ruling BRS is destined to face defeat as the Congress is on course to wrest the reins of the state. "Yes, I have decided to join the Congress again. I was earlier with the Congress and was elected MLA from Munugode. I have been among the people of late and the sense that I got is that the public mood favours a Congress return. The political headwinds in Telangana have shifted. The Congress is best placed to defeat the KCR government. That is the main reason why I decided to return to the party," Reddy told ANI. Coming out with the polling schedule for five states, the Election Commission (EC), on October 9, announced that the Assembly elections in Telangana would be held in a single phase on November 30. The counting of votes in Telangana, along with those of four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3. Telangana is set to witness an intriguing triangular contest between the BJP, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and the Congress in the November 30 polls. In the previous Assembly election in 2018, the BRS managed to win 88 of the 119 seats, hogging 47.4 per cent of the total votes polled. The Congress finished a distant second at 19 seats, with a vote share of 28.7 per cent. (ANI)
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