Another blow to Telangana BJP as ex-MP Vivek joins Congress

HYDERABAD: In yet another blow to the BJP in Telangana ahead of the Assembly elections, former MP and BJP’s national executive member G. Vivek Venkatswamy resigned from the party and joined the Congress on Wednesday.

“With a heavy heart, I tender my resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Vivek wrote in his letter addressed to Telangana BJP president G. Kishan Reddy.

Vivek later met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Novotel Hotel at Shamshabad here and joined the party.

Accompanied by his son Vamsi Krishna, the former MP called on Rahul Gandhi, who is currently campaigning for the party in Telangana.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy and other leaders were present.

Revanth Reddy told reporters that Vivek’s joining will further strengthen the Congress party in its task of removing Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from power.

Vivek said he did not join the Congress for any post or ticket but to work for throwing the KCR government out of power.

Vivek alleged that for the last 10 years, the KCR government was working for his family and not for the betterment of people. “There is a need for all to come together and end this evil rule,” he said.

There has been speculation for the last several weeks that Vivek was planning to return to the Congress party. His son is likely to get a Congress ticket to contest the November 30 Assembly election.

Vivek, son of Congress leader and former Union minister late G. Venkataswamy, had quit TRS (now BRS) in 2019 to join BJP. He had resigned as advisor to Telangana government and quit the ruling party after he was denied ticket to contest from Peddapalli Lok Sabha seat.

Vivek, an industrialist, has switched loyalties at least six times. He was elected to Parliament in 2009 from the Peddapalli constituency. He later joined TRS to put pressure on the Congress over the demand for statehood to Telangana.

After the Telangana Bill was passed in Parliament in 2014, he returned to Congress.

He again returned to the TRS in 2016 and quit the party in 2019 to switch loyalties to the BJP.

Vivek’s exit from BJP comes less than a week after another senior leader Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy returned to Congress.

Raj Gopal Reddy had resigned from Congress to join BJP last year but could not retain Munugode Assembly seat on the ticket of the saffron party in the bypoll.