Hyderabad-based casino organiser Chikoti Praveen has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. He joined BJP in the presence of BJP national vice-president DK Aruna on Saturday, October 7, at the party’s office in Barkatpura. Praveen is accused of organising illegal gambling and casino events in India and abroad.
He was raided and questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in 2022. In May 2023, Praveen was part of a group of people caught by the Thailand police while busting a major gambling racket in Pattaya.
Praveen has been trying to join the BJP for a while now. In an embarrassing incident on September 12, Praveen seemed to have been snubbed by the party leadership, reportedly amid differences within the party over his induction. Praveen and his followers organised a procession to the BJP office in Hyderabad, announcing that he was going to join the party. But the BJP leaders, including Telangana chief Kishan Reddy, were not present in the office when he arrived. Praveen had then claimed that this was due to some miscommunication. Later, he alleged that a few BJP leaders were trying to stop him from entering the party.
In July 2023, Praveen was booked by the Gajwel police for taking out a rally without permission amid prohibitory orders following communal clashes. Earlier, the Chatrinaka police in Hyderabad had booked him during the Bonalu festival in July 2023 for employing private security guards with illegal weapons. Shortly after the case was filed, he obtained bail from the court. In the same month, he was also booked by the Chatrinaka police for employing private security guards who were carrying illegal weapons.
Praveen is also known for exhibiting a lavish lifestyle and possessing many exotic animals at his huge farmhouse at Saireddygudem near Hyderabad’s Kadthal in Ranga Reddy district. He has posted photographs with Bollywood celebrities on social media, and some of them are said to have attended some of the parties organised by Praveen.