Richest Telangana MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who quit TRS, meets Rahul; fuels rumour of joining Congress

HYDERABAD: Days ahead of the crucial December 7 Telangana Assembly polls, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who earlier quit from Telangana Rashtra Samithi, met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi fuelling rumours of him joining the grand old party.

The 55-year-old MP from Chevella in Ranga Reddy district, reported to be the richest lawmaker in the state, met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday.

MP from Chevella, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy who had resigned from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) yesterday, meets Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi pic.twitter.com/egPeFT59p8 — ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2018

The Chevella MP resigned from TRS on Tuesday citing disappointment with the party at various levels. Reddy said he would also resign from the Lok Sabha. 

In a three-page letter to KCR, he listed disappointments at five levels – personal, injustice to karyakarthas who worked for Telangana statehood, constituency, state and party. "I fought for the party in 2014 when the party needed me. However, the party has induced people who were against Telangana and our ideology into the cabinet and given them more power and prominence. I feel people who were fighting for Telangana and share a common ideology including me are no longer needed in the party," Reddy writes in the letter.

I after introspection of the very reason I joined politics (Regional development) and after many discussion within the the TRS party, with a heavy heart I submitted my resignation to the TRS Party. — Vishweshwar Reddy K (@VishweshwarRed1) November 20, 2018

The heavyweight MP's resignation and likely move to Congress is being viewed as a major blow to TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. 

Congress is trying to build a grand alliance in the state consisting of Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and Communist Party of India. 

Congress left 25 seats to the partners - 14 to TDP, eight to TJS and three to CPI. However, TJS has rejected the offer and has demanded for 12 seats. Congress is also facing massive internal protest over the distribution of tickets. The final seat sharing between the parties is yet to be announced.

The 119-member Telangana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on December 7. The counting of votes will take place on December 11. The house was dissolved prematurely in September on the recommendation of the ruling KCR-led TRS government.