In a major setback to the BRS party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, senior leader K Keshava Rao has announced his decision to join the Congress along with his daughter and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) mayor Gadwal Vijaya Laxmi. Keshava Rao was the Rajya Sabha floor leader of BRS.

On Thursday, March 28 afternoon, Keshava Rao called on BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) at his farmhouse in Erravelli regarding his decision to join the Congress. 

According to IANS, the BRS chief was reportedly upset as Keshav Rao, who held different positions during the last decade, was leaving the party in difficult times when it needed senior leaders like him.

“Joining Congress is a homecoming. Like pilgrims who come home after their pilgrimage, I am going back to my home Congress. I was with Congress for 53 years before moving to TRS and stayed with the party for over 10 years. I had grown up in Congress and will die in Congress,” Keshava Rao told the media post his meeting with KCR, according to The Times of India.

Reacting to this, Keshav Rao’s son K Viplav Kumar,  the former Chairman of TS Urban Finance Infrastructure Development Corporation, said that he has nothing to do with the decision of his father and sister. He asserted that he would continue to be with the BRS.

Besides Keshava Rao, it is speculated that BRS leader and former Minister Indrakaran Reddy will also join the Congress party on March 30. The speculation gained credibility when he met Keshava Rao at his residence on March 28. 

Meanwhile, along with Vijaya Laxmi, 10 GHMC corporators are also expected to join the ruling party on March 30.