Telangana: Major blow to BRS as yet another MLA, Kale Yadaiah joins Congress

In another setback to Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), Kale Yadaiah, the BRS MLA from Chevella assembly constituency, has switched camps and joined the Congress in the presence of Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy in Delhi. He has been member of the assembly since 2014.

This latest defection comes just a few days after BRS MLA Dr M Sanjay Kumar joined the Congress.

Sanjay was re-elected for a second consecutive term from the Jagtial Assembly constituency in Nizamabad district in the elections held in November 2023. Earlier, Banswada MLA and former assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy too joined the Congress.

Sixth MLA to join Congress

Yadaiah is the sixth MLA to switch loyalties since Congress came to power in December last year.

Meanwhile, BRS leader Chandrasekhar Rao is meeting BRS MLAs at his farmhouse in Erravelli in Siddipet district, in a desperate attempt to keep the flock together. However, he is unable to stop the steady stream of MLAs making a beeline to the Congress.

More MLAs are expected to defect to the Congress in the coming days.

The BRS had won 39 seats in the 119-member Assembly in the elections. But its strength has come down to 33 as it also lost the recent Secunderabad Cantonment by-election to the ruling party.

Srinivas Reddy was the first MLA to switch loyalties after BRS suffered a humiliating defeat in last month's Lok Sabha polls in which it drew a blank.