A decade after leaving the party with he was associated for almost five decades, veteran politician and Rajya Sabha member Kancharla Keshava Rao returned to the Congress on Wednesday in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
The 85-year-old Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MP rejoined the Congress party on Wednesday at the residence of Mr. Kharge with whom he had a cordial relationship on account of his long association. AICC General Secretary K.C .Venugopal and in-charge for Telangana Deepadas Munshi were also present.
File photo of K. Keshava Rao | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
KK had quit Congress in 2013
The veteran leader, a strong supporter of separate Telangana State, had quit the Congress party in 2013 protesting the UPA Government and party’s indecision on announcing a separate State. He crossed over to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS, then TRS) sending shock waves in the Congress party then.
File photo of K. Keshav Rao with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS, then TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao | Photo Credit: MOHAMMED YOUSUF
Sources said chances of Mr. Keshava Rao quitting his Rajya Sabha membership is likely even though he still has two years term left. If he quits, the Congress party is likely to renominate him from Telangana again, sources said.
KK held key positions in BRS
It may be mentioned here that Mr. Keshava Rao, after quitting the Congress, held key position in the BRS with its chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao giving him a pride of place and inducting him into the Politburo, the highest decision making body of the pink party. He was sent to the Rajya Sabha on BRS ticket in 2014 and again in 2020.
After the BRS was voted out of power in the Telangana Assembly elections-2023, a number of elected representatives of the party joined the ruling Congress. Six MLAs from the BRS have joined the Congress party taking the latter’s strength from 64 to 70 in the Telangana Assembly.
In March this year, Mr. Keshava Rao, after a meeting with Mr. KCR, had announced that he would come back to the Congress party fold. His daughter and GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi too had quit the BRS to join the Congress.
The top Congress leader had served as the APCC president between 2005-08 and served a stint as Rajya Sabha member on behalf of the Congress 2006-2012.
File photo of K. Keshava Rao, then APCC president, taken on July 5, 2007 | Photo Credit: SATISH H
