Former BRS MLA Aroori Ramesh has said he will join the BJP
Leaders of the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana today fought over a former MLA who had announced he would join the BJP.
Former BRS MLA Aroori Ramesh was at home when BRS leaders barged in and allegedly tried to take him away.
After Mr Ramesh yesterday met Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, the former BRS leader announced he would join the BJP this evening.
During a press conference to announce his resignation from the BRS, former state minister Errabelli Dayakar and others barged in and allegedly tried to convince Mr Ramesh not to join the BJP. They reportedly made him speak to BRS leader Harish Rao on phone, after which they allegedly forced Mr Ramesh into a car to take him to Hyderabad, where senior BRS leaders including Mr Rao and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao would be waiting.
Soon, BRS and BJP supporters clashed outside Mr Ramesh's house when word spread he had been allegedly 'kidnapped' by the BRS.
In visuals, Mr Ramesh is seen being pulled out of a car in which Errabelli Dayakar is sitting in the front seat. The car was reportedly intercepted by BJP supporters and stopped from going towards to Hyderabad. The BJP supporters dialled the state BJP chief and made Mr Ramesh speak to him in front of cameras; he is heard saying he would tell the BRS leadership he has quit. Visuals showed the former MLAs shirt had been torn in the scuffle. He looked hassled and confused about what was happening.
The BRS has been struggling to find candidates to contest the Lok Sabha elections. The party has lost three MPs in recent times - one to the Congress, and two to the BJP. Ranjith Reddy from Chevella has also made it clear he does not want to contest.
The BRS reportedly wanted to field Mr Ramesh from Warangal, but the BJP had made the same offer, and he preferred the party that is ruling at the Centre.
Mr Ramesh told reporters he was humiliated in the BRS despite winning with a good majority in the past and wanted to move on.
The BJP, too, does not have enough candidates with potential to win and so is looking to induct leaders from other parties such as the BRS, which is now on the back foot after its defeat in the last assembly election.
The BJP has fielded BRS MP BB Patil from Zaheerabad a day after he joined the party, even though the BRS had wanted to make him contest from the same constituency.
The BJP made Bharat Prasad its candidate from Nagarkurnool (Scheduled Castes reserved) constituency just two days after his father and MP P Ramulu resigned from the BRS.
BRS leader B Vinod Kumar, who has been fielded by the party from Karimnagar, said five out of the nine candidates announced by the BJP are from the BRS party.
Two former BRS MPs Ajmeera Sitaram Naik (Mahbubabad) and Godam Nagesh (Adilabad), and two former MLAs Jalagam Venkat Rao (Kothagudem) and S Saidi Reddy (Huzurnagar), have joined the BJP in Delhi.
Another BRS leader, G Srinivas, who unsuccessfully contested from Peddapalli, has also joined the BJP.