NEW DELHI: Former Bharatiya Janata Party member
AP Jithender Reddy
, along with his son,
switched sides
to join
Congress party
in
Telangana
.
The move took place in the presence of chief minister
Revanth Reddy
and All India Congress Committee in-charge Deepa Das Munshi.
In a letter to BJP national president J P Nadda, Jithender Reddy expressed concerns about the party’s performance in the recent assembly elections following a change in state leadership.
“However, after the change in state leadership, the party has suffered severely as witnessed by the recently concluded assembly elections, where the party should have won at least 25 seats but we managed to secure only 8 seats in the 119-member assembly of Telangana,” Jithender Reddy said.
“Even in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, our party has given preference to outsiders who recently joined our party and do not share the same ethos as us. I have conveyed my reservations and apprehensions several times at the state and national level,” he added.
Subsequently, the Telangana government appointed Jithender Reddy as a special representative in New Delhi and as advisor for sports affairs. The appointment was made under Article 18 of the Warrant of Precedence, without formal changes to the State Table.
“He will rank in Article 18 of the Warrant of Precedence, as a measure personal to the dignitary for the duration of the term of the office, without formal amendment to the State Table of Warrant of Precedence,” the order noted.
(With inputs from agencies)