HYDERABAD: Emboldened by
DK Aruna's crossover
, the BJP is making swift moves to lure senior leaders from the Congress. Highly placed sources said the saffron party is believed to be in touch with over 20 Congress leaders, including a former Union minister and former state ministers.
Unconfirmed reports doing the rounds in political circles is that the BJP is in touch with former Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana,
ex-ministers Sunitha Laxma Reddy
(who has denied it) and M Mukesh Goud, M Vikram Goud (son of Mukesh Goud), K Raghuveer Reddy (son of K Jana Reddy, for Nalgonda LS seat), Kommuri Pratap Reddy, Shiv Kumar Reddy, Bellaiah Naik (for Mahbubabad LS seat) and Addanki Dayakar
In a separate development, AICC general secretary RC Khuntia told reporters in Delhi that leaders leaving the Congress was not a new phenomenon and that the grand old party would not be affected by the defections in
Telangana. "The Congress will make a strong come-back and most of these defectors would also come back to the Congress after being cornered in other parties," he added.
Also, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has sought time to meet governor ESL Narasimhan to submit a representation to him in connection with the defections being engineered by various political parties. The Congress delegation comprising former Union minister and AICC general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Veerappa Moily, his counterpart from Telangana RC Khuntia, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka and other senior leaders will be meeting the governor to submit the memorandum.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.