In a huge setback to the TRS prior to Munugode bypoll, former party MP from Bhuvanagiri Dr Boora Narsaiah Goud has resigned from the party. He is expected to join the BJP.

The move came after Dr Goud met BJP leaders in New Delhi on 13 October. Earlier the same day he accompanied the TRS candidate Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy when the latter filed his nomination.

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Dr Goud who was with the TRS since the days of statehood agitation wrote a three page long resignation letter to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao outlining the backstabbing and insults he faced in the party following his defeat from Bhuvanagiri in 2019, as well as the failure of key government schemes like Dharani and the way the party was ignoring the backward classes.

Munugode has a sizeable population of Goud community to which Dr Goud belongs.. The BJP possibly wooed him with a promise of ticket in the next Assembly election. There is a sizeable population of Reddy community as well in Munugode and TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao chose to handover the party ticket to Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy ignoring Dr Goud’s aspiration for a party ticket. BJP which also chose a “Reddy” as candidate in former Congressman K Rajagopal Reddy, wooed Dr Gaud to balance the caste equations.

K Rajagopal Reddy’s brother K Venkat Reddy is the Congress MP from Bhuvangiri and is also expected to join the BJP at the right time. The TRS leadership had thought they had assuaged the hurt felt by party’s ticket aspirants for Munugode bypoll, Dr Goud and another TRS leader Karne Prabhakar but the resignation letter of Dr Goud stated otherwise. The shift if reflected in votes from Goud community will hurt the TRS badly.

Dr Goud in the letter slammed some of the government schemes and programmes which have brought ill will for the party including the Dharani portal for digitisation of land records. Criticising the state government he wrote, “What is the use of staying in the party if I am unable to make you reconsider some of the government decisions which are creating ill will among the public?” wrote Dr Goud.

He also complained that he was not only consulted over the by-poll he was also not informed about the atma gourava (self respect) meetings held in the party. “Is it a crime even to ask for tickets for backward class members?” asked the former MP. Expressing gratitude for the opportunities given Dr Goud said there was a difference between admiration and slavery.

Meanwhile there were rumours of Karne Prabhakar joining BJP as well but for today he was in attendance when two local leaders from Congress joined TRS in the presence of working president KT Ram Rao.