Hyderabad: Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some but for the Telangana Rashtra Samiti it will be extremely lucky to get a 13th Congress MLA to leave his party and join the TRS.
The Congress MLAs are: Huzurnagar MLA and TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Madhira MLA and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikrama-rka, Manthani MLA and former minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Mulugu MLA Dasari Anasuya (Seethakka), Bhongir MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Sangareddy MLA Turpu Jayaprakash Reddy (Jaggareddy) and Tandur MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mallu Bhatti, Sridhar Babu and Komatireddy will not leave the Congress. Mulugu MLA Seethakka is a close associate of TPCC working president A. Revanth Reddy, who is a bitter enemy of the TRS and Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao.
TRS sources said that Tandur MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy and Sangareddy MLA Jaggareddy informed them that they will take a decision after the Lok Sabha results.
Rohit Reddy is close to Chevella MP Konda Visweswar Reddy. If Visweswar Reddy wins from Chevella, Rohit Reddy may not join the TRS. MLA Jaggareddy is also waiting for the Lok Sabha results, according to one of the defected MLAs. Should the TRS win 16 Lok Sabha seats, he may join the victorious party. But if the Congress wins three or four seats, Jaggareddy may think twice about joining the TRS.
The TRS would prefer Rohit Reddy to Jaggareddy, but will accept the latter if Rohit Reddy decides not to defect, in order that it may complete the merger process that requires one more MLA.
