Hyderabad: Komati Reddy Raj Gopal Reddy on Friday, October 27 rejoined the Congress party after quitting the BJP stating that the party had failed to emerge as an alternative to BRS in the state.
Raj Gopal rejoined the Congress in the presence of AICC Telangana Congress In-charge Manik Rao Thackeray, TPCC President Revanth Reddy, and CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, in Delhi.
After being denied a ticket by the BJP, Raj Gopal quit to return to the Congress which welcomed him and reportedly rewarded him with a ticket for the upcoming Telangana elections.
With almost a month left for the Telangana Assembly election, the Congress’ Central Election Committee (CEC) on Friday reportedly finalised 100 candidates, including the 55 names announced in the first list on October 15. The second list with 45 names will be released in a day or two.
Raj Gopal Reddy- Congress to BJP & back home
The former Munugode MLA, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, whose name was missing from the first list of 52 candidates announced by the BJP last week, has decided to return to the Congress. Reddy resigned from the BJP, on Wednesday, October 25.
Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, brother of Congress MP from Bhongir, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, was in the Congress party MLA till August 2022. Komatireddy, when joining the BJP, claimed that “BJP will come to power in the centre for a third term.”
He even resigned from the Assembly, necessitating a by-election in Munugode, but now the move comes with the resurgence of the Congress party in Telangana following the Karnataka elections.
In 2009, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy was elected as Lok Sabha MP representing the Bhongir constituency. Following his tenure in the Lok Sabha, after 2015, Raj Gopal Reddy shifted his attention to state politics.
He was elected as an MLC during 2016-2018, representing the Local bodies constituency of Nalgonda District.
Before completing his term, Raj Gopal Reddy resigned from the post to contest in the 2018 Assembly elections from the Munugode Assembly constituency.
Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy formally joined the BJP in Union home minister Amit Shah’s presence during a public meeting in the Munugode.
In August 2022, he resigned from his post and said: “I am unhappy. The people who voted for me are unhappy. Is Munugodu not in Telangana? I have achieved nothing in the last three years as the MLA. Who is this post for? I have tried my best to bring our issues to light, but has the state government heard us?” He said that due to the ruling party, TRS’s inability to meet the demands of their constituents, Reddy resigned from his post as an MLA.
Although he lost the Munugode Assembly by-election as a BJP candidate in November 2022, he was appointed as a member of the BJP National Executive ahead of the Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections slated for 2024.
