Ex-Telangana deputy CM, daughter dump BRS for Congress

HYDERABAD: Former Telangana deputy CM Kadiyam Srihari and daughter Kavya joined Congress on Sunday, hours after quitting BRS. BRS had nominated Kavya from Warangal (SC) reserved LS seat for May 13 polls but she opted out. She is now tipped to be Congress nominee from the same seat. Srihari, an MLA, and Kavya were inducted in the presence of CM A Revanth Reddy and AICC state in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi. Congress said more people from BRS and other parties are likely to cross over. One big name doing the rounds is K Keshava Rao, BRS parliamentary party leader.His daughter Gadwal Vijayalakshmi joined Congress on Saturday. Recently, sitting MPs G Ranjith Reddy (Chevella), Pasunoori Dayakar (Warangal) and B Venkatesh Netha (Peddapalli) and Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender have quit BRS and joined Congress.Srihari consulted supporters earlier, telling them that Congress leaders had "invited" him and offered the Warangal seat to his daughter."My daughter is contesting her first election and I did not want her to enter the fray from a party like BRS, which is going through a rough patch and has considerably weakened in Warangal," Srihari said. He stressed his clean image, saying there "are no major cases against me in my 30-year political career".