Party defectors in dilemma on future

Hyderabad: Pre-poll party switch by politicos in Seemandhra is expected to continue post polls too and the trend would depend on which party comes to power.

Many Congress MLAs and prominent leaders defected to the YSR Congress and the TD before the elections. Even the likes of former minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy and former MP Rayapati Samba Siva Rao, long-time Congress loyalists, joined the TD before elections and contested on its ticket.

Such Congress leaders, who have contested on a TD ticket in the elections, if they win, may continue for some time in the party, otherwise chances are that they would return to the Congress. One of the senior APCC leaders said he was hopeful of many leaders re-joining the Congress post polls. “Whether I win or lose, I want to go back to the Congress or the YSRC if any of them comes to power,” said one TD candidate, who joined the party before elections.

The Congress leaders, who joined the TD, are more worried than those who joined the YSRC, because the YSRC is a new party and many leaders in it are from the Congress.
In the TD, which has a 32-year-old political history and veteran leaders, new entrants like them may not have much of a say.

Mr Diwakar Reddy, who had been in the Congress for four decades, in fact has reiterated many times that true Congress leaders cannot adjust in other parties.
If the YSR Congress comes to power in Seemandhra, it is expected that many Congress leaders would join it.

APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy said before elections that those deserting the party would be given party tickets if they re-joined again before elections, but if they did so after elections they would not be considered for next elections also.

Telangana too may see migrations once results are declared. In the past, some TRS MLAs joined the Congress after elections.
Against this backdrop, Telangana Congress leaders expressed doubts about TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement that he would support AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s Prime Minister bid.

Former government whip Anil Kumar sought to know the reasons for Mr Rao changing his stand on supporting the Congress.