Telangana Rashtra Samithi working president and state Information Technology minister K T Rama Rao’s comment that former health minister Eatala Rajender would quit the Bharatiya Janata Party and join the Congress before 2023 assembly elections triggered a big debate in the state political circles.
It is a fact that Rajender joined the BJP only to wriggle out of the cases filed by the TRS government after he raised a banner of revolt against chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. It is also a fact that he is not comfortable in the BJP.
But there is no option for him at least for now, as he is fighting the by-election to Huzurabad assembly seat on the BJP ticket.
As the BJP has little presence in the constituency, Rajender is banking on his own image and is struggling to retain his seat fighting against the money and muscle power of the TRS.
If Rajender wins the Huzurabad assembly seat, it will be a big boost to the BJP which is trying to emerge as a powerful alternative to the TRS.
But if he loses the by-elections, the BJP would not hesitate to dump him and he would lose his importance in the party.
That is perhaps the reason why KTR commented that Rajender would join the Congress party in another one and a half years.
He is pretty confident that Rajender would lose the Huzurabad elections and he has to join the Congress if he has to win any election in the coming years.
Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said it was hypothetical to say that Rajender would join the Congress.
“KTR is desperate to see that the TRS wins the Huzurabad bypoll. That is why, he is trying to hoodwink the people by spreading all sorts of rumours,” he said.
Interestingly, there is a talk that Bhatti Vikramarka himself would join the TRS ahead of the next assembly elections.
“In fact, there is a talk that he wanted to join the TRS a few months ago, but KCR asked him to wait but work for the TRS while continuing in the Congress,” sources said.
