In Khammam district, Congress leader Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy made a promise during the assembly elections that no BRS flag would fly. The Congress won all but one seat in the district, with the lone BRS candidate winning in Bhadrachalam. The loss of Bhadrachalam was a disappointment for the ruling party, especially after the winning candidate, Tellam Venkat Rao, joined Congress in Hyderabad.
Ponguleti succeeded in fulfilling his pledge to win all 9 seats in the district for Congress. Rumors of Tellam joining Congress had been circulating since the election, and his eventual switch came as a shock to many. The BRS leaders were already suspicious of his intentions, and it was just a matter of time before he made the move to the Congress party.
Prominent politician K V Rama Rao expressed disapproval of Tellam’s defection, noting that such actions were becoming common in the current political climate. Senior BRS leaders had also left the party for personal gain, following their positions of power during the BRS party’s decade-long rule. The Bhadrachalam Constituency had a history of aligning with the opposition party, but Ponguleti’s efforts reversed this trend.
