KARIMNAGAR, FEBRUARY 17, 2024: Former Minister Etala Rajender, who is sulking in the BJP after his defeat in the recent assembly elections from the Huzurabad and Gajwel assembly segments, is planning to join the ruling Congress party and contest from the Karimnagar parliament constituency in the ensuing elections.
As is evident with a picture going viral on the social media, wherein Mr Rajender is seen holding parleys over a breakfast meeting with the Congress leaders Mainampalli Hanumantha Rao and former Minister Patnam Mahender Reddy. Incidentally, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is also leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Congress wins maximum of MP seats in the parliament elections in the Telangana state.
Since advent of TRS, Mr Rajender was associated with the TRS and played a crucial role during the statehood movement. After attaining power in 2014, Mr Rajender was made Finance Minister and during the second term in 2018, he was made Health minister. However, following his humiliation by the TRS high command, he quit the party and joined the BJP and won the elections on BJP ticket in Huzurabad by-elections in 2021.
Though, he had won the elections on BJP ticket, he was sidelined by the party and was not according due importance. On the other hand, the differences have cropped up between Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Mr Etala Rajender in the district and state politics. Though, Mr Rajender was having considerable say in the integrated Karimnagar district because of his active association during the statehood movement, the BJP had confined him to Huzurabad assembly segment alone.
After his defeat in the recent Assembly elections from Huzurabad and Gajwel segments, Mr Rajender had restricted his activities in the party and maintaining equidistance with the party high command. Actually, Mr Rajender had decided to join the Congress party after his exit from TRS. However, due to leadership crisis in the Congress party, he was forced to join the BJP in spite of ideological differences only to teach a lesson to the TRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao.
Now, the Congress party had attained power and going on with a swing in entire Telangana state, Mr Rajender had decided to join the Congress party very soon. The Congress party had also offered him the party ticket from Karimnagar parliament constituency, the source said. Mr Rajender, who belongs to BC community (Mudiraj) has considerable vote bank in the constituency. Besides, he was having good contacts with all sections of society in the parliament constituency, the sources said.
