In yet another setback for the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh, former Chief Minister and strongman from the Rayalaseema region, Kiran Kumar Reddy, is likely to join the BJP. Reports suggest that the BJP has promised to give him key positions in the party, both at the national and state level.
Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is a four-time MLA from Chittoor district, will help the BJP strengthen its base in the Rayalaseema region. As part of its ‘Mission South’ strategy, the BJP is looking to expand in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions.
Speaking to TNM, an Andhra BJP leader said Kiran Kumar Reddy was the only leader who had the courage to take on the Owaisi brothers when he was the Chief Minister. “His image of being a strong leader will help to strengthen the BJP and garner support from the people,” he added.
In 2014, Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and quit Congress, protesting against the bifurcation of the state. Contrary to the Congress party’s central leadership stand, he strongly opposed the bifurcation of the state and ensured that a resolution was adopted in the Assembly.
After Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, Kiran Kumar Reddy launched his own regional outfit named the Jai Samaikyandhra Party but was unable to make any significant electoral gains. He returned to the Congress in 2018 and remained largely inactive.
Kiran Kumar was sidelined in the Congress, and he made repeated requests for a better position in the party but it was ignored. Sources in the Congress said that even after joining Congress, he was politically inactive and remained silent during the 2019 General Elections. “He did not participate in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. He wanted to have a national-level post in the Congress party, but it did not happen,” the source added.
A few months ago, Kiran Kumar Reddy had visited Delhi and met the then Congress interim president, Sonia Gandhi, and sought a larger role in the party.