BRS MLA Prakash Goud meets CM Revanth, set to join Congress

Hyderabad: In less than 24 hours after BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao made a big statement that nearly 20 Congress MLAs are in touch with him, BRS suffered a jolt with another MLA deciding to switch loyalties to Congress. Rajendranagar MLA T Prakash Goud (BRS) is all set to join Congress in a day or two. He conveyed this to TPCC president and chief minister A Revanth Reddy and advisor (Public Affairs) to Government Vem Narender Reddy on Friday.

It may be mentioned here that Prakash Goud called on Revanth Reddy and minister Ponnam Prabhakar for the first time in January third week which led to speculations of him joining Congress. But Prakash Goud clarified that he only met the CM for constituency-related development issues. Three months after the first meeting Prakash Goud made up his mind and finally decided to join Congress.

Prakash Goud history with BRS

Prakash Goud has won four consecutive terms as MLA from the Rajendranagar segment in the 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections. He was elected on a TDP ticket in the 2009 and 2014 elections but moved to BRS in 2014 as a result of Operation Aakarsh by the ruling party when many opposition MLAs from TDP and Congress joined the pink brigade.

Prakash Goud joins with three other sitting MLAs from BRS: Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur) and Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam) who joined Congress in the last five months after the party formed the Telangana State government.

MP K Keshav Rao, MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife and Vikarabad ZP chairperson Sunitha Mahender Reddy, sitting MPs G Ranjith Reddy (Chevella), B Venkatesh Netha (Peddapalli), Pasunuri Dayaker (Warangal), GHMC mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi and ex-mayor Bonthu Rammohan, T Venkat Rao, S Venugopala Chary, D Rajeshwar Rao, Kadiyam Kavya, Kancharla Chandrashekar Reddy (Allu Arjun’s father-in-law) and a few GHMC corporators have switched from BRS to Congress.

Will Ranjith Reddy gain with Goud’s joining?

Rajendranagar sitting MLA Prakash Goud’s joining is likely to benefit Chevella sitting MP and Congress candidate G Ranjith Reddy in the Lok Sabha election. Chevella is witnessing a two-cornered fight between Ranjith Reddy (Congress) and former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (BJP).

In the seven Assembly segments under Chevella Lok Sabha, Congress has three MLAs (Parigi, Vikarabad and Tandur) already and its chances will brighten with Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar) also joining the ranks.

The remaining three segments (Maheshwaram, Chevella and Serilingampally) under this Parliamentary constituency are represented by BRS MLAs. If one goes by Assembly segment strength it should be a straight fight between Congress and BRS. However, in the last five months, the BRS graph took a rapid decline so much so that its contestant Kasani Gyaneshwar is not in the reckoning at all for a win, as per experts and survey reports.