In another significant blow to the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) party, Gutta Amit, son of Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy, joined the Congress on Monday. He joined in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Deepa Das Munsi, AICC secretary Rohit Chaudhary, and Congress leader Rohin Reddy.
Mr. Amit’s entry into the Congress is a major setback for the BRS, particularly in the Nalgonda district, where he is well-known as his father’s son. Mr. Amit was an aspirant for the Nalgonda Parliament seat from the BRS but was denied a ticket due to pressure from former Minister G. Jagadish Reddy. The ticket was instead allotted to Kancharla Krishna Reddy, the brother of former BRS MLA Kancharla Bhupal Reddy.
The strained relationship between Mr. Jagadish Reddy and Mr. Sukhender Reddy has been evident in recent months, indicating a divide within the BRS in Nalgonda. Both leaders and their followers have exchanged public statements, highlighting their growing differences.
Mr. Sukhender Reddy, a former Congress leader, defected to the TRS (now BRS) after being elected as an MP. He was later elected as an MLC and made the Legislative Council Chairman. Despite rumors of his return to the Congress, he has remained silent on the matter.
Mr. Sukhender Reddy has recently criticized the functioning of the BRS party, alleging a lack of structure at the ground level. He has also made critical remarks against BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, whom he previously defended strongly when the BRS was in power.
While the Congress is a strong force in the Nalgonda district, the exit of Mr. Amit may negatively impact the BRS. His departure is likely to be seen as a rejection of the BRS by his father as well.
