Defections Surge Across Party Lines Before Local Body Polls

BJP, Congress, and BRS leaders are encouraging defections of leaders and cadres from rival parties at the village and mandal levels in the Adilabad Assembly Constituency.

Leaders who are uncertain about securing party tickets, face strong rivals within their own parties, or belong to communities with many existing leaders are shifting their loyalties in search of greener pastures ahead of the polls.

BJP MLA Payal Shankar of Adilabad inaugurated the party office in the newly created Sathnala mandal on Sunday.

MLAs and Assembly constituency in-charges are facilitating defections to project that leaders from opposing parties are being drawn to their side. Over the last 10 days, BJP, Congress, and BRS leaders have intensified efforts to attract members from rival parties.

The major parties are focusing on youth and influential leaders in gram panchayats and mandals, intending to field them as candidates in the local body elections.

A few BJP and Congress leaders, along with youth from Jainad, joined the BRS under the leadership of former MLA Jogu Ramanna, while BRS and BJP leaders from Sathnala mandal joined the Congress under the leadership of Assembly constituency in-charge Kandi Srinivas.

Recently, some Youth Congress and BRS leaders joined the BJP under the leadership of local MLA Payal Shankar. All three major parties are also establishing offices in the newly created mandals of the Adilabad Assembly Constituency.

Payal Shankar urged villagers to support the BJP in the upcoming local body elections, as they did in the Assembly and Parliamentary elections, and to elect the party’s candidates.

Senior political leaders are actively identifying and persuading influential figures to join their parties. It is observed that top leaders are particularly targeting individuals from their own communities, taking into account potential reservations for Sarpanch, ZPTC, and MPTC posts.