Telugu Desam party suffered yet another major jolt in Hyderabad city with one of its senior leaders and former Minister K Vijayarama Rao joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
K Vijayarama Rao, a former director of Central Bureau of Investigation had represented Khairatabad constituency in the State Assembly and served as a minister in Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet more than a decade ago.
On Sunday was formally welcomed into the TRS fold by the Chief Minister K Chandrsekhar Rao by offering him pink bandana. As part of its strategy to woo the people of Seemandhra ahead of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, the TRS was aggressively working to attract the TDP leaders including Vijayarama Rao. Senior TRS leader and minister K Taraka Rama Rao had met Vijayrama Rao recently and invited him to the TRS fold.
On coming to know of TRS plans, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu tried to persuade Vijayrama Rao against any such move but could not succeed.
The TDP has already lost five of its MlAs from the city including G Sayanna from Secunderabad to the TRS dwindling its ranks in the GHMC areas.
Vijayrama Rao, who enjoys a clean image was quite popular among the settlers or the people of Seemandhra region in the city. He was peeved with Chandrababu Naidu for sidelining him in the party since the bifurcation of the state in 2014.
Meanwhile the TRS decided to give the responsibility of leading the party’s campaign in GHMC polls to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K Taraka Rama Rao and daughter and MP K Kavitha. T Harish Rao will be responsible for the party’s campaign in Narayankhed assembly constituency of Medak district where by election is due soon.
A notification for the GHMC elections was likely to be released on Monday.