BRS MLA Prakash Goud Joins Congress, Marking Eighth Defection Since Assembly Elections
In a significant political development, Prakash Goud, an MLA from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), joined the Congress on Friday night, bringing the total number of BRS legislators who have defected to the ruling party to eight since the previous year’s Assembly elections. Goud, who represents the Rajendranagar constituency in Greater Hyderabad, was welcomed into the Congress by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at his residence.
The event saw Goud’s followers also joining the Congress, alongside prominent figures such as Revenue Minister P. Srinivas Reddy and MLC Mahender Reddy. Goud had previously announced his decision to switch parties after a visit to the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh. This move comes amidst a series of defections that have reshaped the political landscape in Telangana since the Congress came to power in December 2023.
Goud’s political journey has been marked by multiple party affiliations. Initially elected from the Rajendranagar constituency on a TDP ticket in 2009, he was re-elected in 2014 before joining the TRS (now BRS). In the November 2023 Assembly elections, he secured his seat for a fourth consecutive term under the BRS banner.
Speculations about Goud’s potential party switch gained traction after his meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, alongside fellow BRS MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, last week. However, both MLAs denied any plans to join the TDP, despite Naidu’s efforts to revive the party in Telangana.
Goud acknowledged Naidu as his political mentor but reiterated his commitment to joining the Congress. His alignment with Revanth Reddy earlier this year hinted at his political intentions, though his official switch was delayed until now.
The defection of Goud and seven other MLAs has reduced the BRS’s strength in the 119-member Assembly from 39 to 30, following the loss of the Secunderabad Cantonment seat to the Congress in a by-election held in May. Consequently, the Congress’s tally has risen to 73.
The BRS has also experienced the departure of six MLCs and several senior leaders to the Congress over the past seven months. Additionally, D. Nagender, a BRS MLA who defected to the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections, predicted the eventual merger of the BRS Legislature Party with the Congress Legislature Party. He asserted that only a few key BRS members, including President K. Chandrasekhar Rao, his son K.T. Rama Rao, and nephew Harish Rao, would remain with the BRS.
This wave of defections signifies a major shift in Telangana’s political dynamics, with the Congress consolidating its power while the BRS navigates its decreasing legislative presence.
