KCR-led BRS has been on the back foot after its defeat in the assembly elections in Telangana
In yet another blow to former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Chevella MP Ranjith Reddy on Sunday quit the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and joined the ruling Congress.
Taking to his official X account, he cited "current political circumstances" behind his (sudden but expected) resignation. He also shared his resignation letter on the microblogging platform.
"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the invaluable opportunity provided by the party to address and resolve the crucial issues affecting the residents of the former Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad Districts. Your confidence in my abilities has empowered me to effectively serve the constituents of Chevella, my parliamentary constituency," Mr Reddy wrote in his resignation letter to Mr Rao.
"I am sincerely thankful for your steadfast support throughout this journey. Unfortunately, due to the current political circumstances in the state of Telangana, I have come to the difficult decision to pursue an alternative path. It is with a heavy heart that I hereby submit my resignation from the BRS Party and relinquish my membership. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for the support and endorsement extended by the party during my tenure," he said.
Hours after his resignation, Mr Reddy joined the Congress in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and other senior party leaders.
K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is commonly known as KCR, has seen some of his party's MPs switching over to other parties in the past few weeks.
Earlier on Saturday, BRS MP from Warangal Pasunoori Dayakar joined the ruling Congress.
Recently, BRS MPs from Zaheerabad and Nagarkurnool, BB Patil and P Ramulu respectively, had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BRS has been on the back foot after its defeat in the recently held assembly elections in Telangana and has been struggling to find candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP, on the other hand, also does not have enough candidates and has been eyeing to induct leaders from other parties.
It fielded BB Patil from Zaheerabad, a day after he joined the party. The BJP also made Bharat Prasad its candidate from the Nagarkurnool (SC reserved) constituency, days after his father, P Ramulu, resigned from the KCR-led BRS.
Elections will be held in Telangana on May 13.