A race to recruit leaders from one party to another is happening quickly in Telangana. T Harish Rao from BRS, Eatala Rajender from BJP, and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy are trying hard to find leaders who are unhappy in rival parties and convince them to switch sides. This is causing tension among the three parties as their leadership has to keep track of every leader and their actions. BRS has already successfully recruited a senior Congress leader from Medak named Yerpula Narottam, who had previously lost in the Zaheerabad Assembly Constituency twice. Now, BRS, BJP, and Congress all want to recruit as many leaders as possible before the elections. However, there is a problem as those who want to join a party also expect a ticket to contest the elections, which may cause issues for some aspirants. It remains to be seen how these parties will handle this situation.
According to sources, KCR from BRS has identified influential leaders in the Congress and BJP who have an impact on certain constituencies. Harish Rao has been reaching out to these leaders. One name that is currently circulating is Raja Singh, a suspended BJP MLA from Goshamahal. Raja Singh was suspended for making remarks against Muslim minorities and was later arrested and sent to jail. He is now out on bail and met Harish Rao. While Raja Singh said he is not quitting the BJP and will only contest if his suspension is revoked, sources say he has been in contact with BRS for a while. Harish Rao is also reportedly in touch with several sulking senior BJP leaders who have been avoiding party activities recently. BRS claims that many unhappy Congress leaders from Nalgonda, Khammam, and Mahbubnagar are also inclined to join their party.
