Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) suffered a major setback in one of its strongholds Warangal with fiery influential woman leader and former MLA Konda Surekha quitting its ranks and joining the Opposition Congress party. Her husband and member of Legislative Council Konda Murli also joined the Congress party at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday.
In a reflection of the significance the party was attaching to her move, Congress president Rahul Gandhi personally welcome the couple into the party fold by putting the party color bandana around their shoulders.
Speaking on the occasion Konda Surekha said that unseating the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and bringing Congress back to power was her only goal as he had failed the backward classes and other weaker sections and insulted her as a backward class woman. “Only Congress party can do justice to the BCs”, she said.
“We are joining the Congress without any pre condition. We have promised Mr. Rahul Gandhi that we will ensure Congress victory in five to six assembly constituencies in Warangal. We will again meet him only after Congress comes to power in the State”, Konda Surekha said.
Konda couple enjoys quiet good standing in Warangal district politics and can influence the outcome in at least three constituencies, local observers say. They were originally with the Congress party and she also served in the cabinet led by YS Rajasekhar Reddy. However after his death she distanced herself from Congress as the party refused to make YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy his successor in 2009.
State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed confidence that with Konda couple joining the party the Congress party will be strengthened in all the constituencies of undivided Warangal district.
He said that the seat from where Konda Surekha will contest would be decided in consultation with the other party leaders.