8th Congress MLA in Telangana switches loyalty to TRS

Congress in Telangana continued to face desertions ahead of Lok Sabha elections as one more MLA and a party functionary Sunday announced their decision to leave the party and join the ruling TRS.

Vanama Venkateswara Rao, representing Kothagudem, announced his support to the TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

He becomes the eighth MLA to shift loyalty to the Congress, which had won 19 seats in the December 7 elections to the 119-member Telangana Assembly.

Separately, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) SC cell chairman Arepalli Mohan joined TRS in the presence of TRS working president K T Rama Rao, TRS sources said.

Venkateswara Rao said he would quit the assembly membership "if necessary".

"All-round development of Kothagudem constituency is important to me. KCR ji has assured me to comprehensively develop it," he said in a statement here.

TRS sources said the MLA met the TRS chief at the latters farmhouse at Erravelli near here.

Earlier, ...