Hyderabad: The Congress is reportedly in talks with senior BJP leader Eatala Rajender in Telangana, with the possibility of offering him a ticket for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Rajender, who previously held important portfolios in the BRS government, is said to be in touch with the Congress, potentially signaling a significant political move ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in April-May, a report by news18.com stated.
This development has the potential to impact the political landscape in the state, particularly in light of the recent Assembly election results.
Eatala Rajender, who contested from Huzurabad and Gajwel in the assembly polls, has repeatedly denied reports of him joining the Congress.
He had stated that he had no intention of joining the party and that these rumors were being propagated by Congress or BJP insiders aiming for his exit.
Rajender further said that he is planning to contest the upcoming elections from Malkajgiri.
Rajender, a very important leader from the Backward Castes (BC) community was pitted against chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao from Gajwel along with his home constituency, Huzurabad by the saffron party in the recently held Assembly polls.
He lost in both the seats.
The BJP had won four of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in the 2019 polls and is now looking at a different set of challenges after the Congress recently surged to power in the state, defeating the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
The BJP is, however, hopeful of putting up a good show in the Lok Sabha elections.
Home Minister Amit Shah during a recent visit to the state had set a target of winning 10 seats for the party.
