BRS MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao, who resigned from the party last night despite being offered renomination from Malkajgiri, has criticised Chief Minister K Chandrasekkhar Rao’s decision to change the name of the party and to expand in neighbouring state, saying that it has taken away the focus from developing Telangana as well as his choice of candidates.

Mynampally Hanumanth Rao is all set to join the Congress which is ready to offer tickets to both his son as well as the MLA. Although he had been in discussion with the Congress, the BRS had offered him a ticket from Malkajgiri and the Chief Minister announced his name while reading out his name in the candidate list.

They had left it to him to take a decision while turning down his demand for his son Rohith from Medak constituency. Instead the BRS supremo had renominated Padma Devender Rao who is considered close to Finance Minister T Harish Rao. The BRS leadership censured him when he attacked Harish Rao but left the decision about his ticket to Hanumanth Rao.

Last night he announced his resignation by uploading his video. His resignation letter said he was “deeply disappointed and disillusioned with recent developments in the party,” since they were being taken unilaterally, he alleged.

“The name change of the party from TRS to BRS against the wishes of the rank and file of the party is a glaring example of this. The unfruitful attempts to expand into neighbouring states have taken away the focus of the party from the development of Telangana,” read the letter in a reference to the Chief Minister’s frequent forays to Maharashtra to expand the BRS.

“The disconnect between the party and the people and its own cadre is even more evident in the choice of several candidates who are facing severe backlash from their constituents and even the party cadre,” said Hanumanth Rao in his letter.

The three Congress MPs including state president A Revanth Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy drew flak from the BRS for abstaining from voting on the Women’s Reservation Bill on 21 September since they were busy in screening committee meeting for selection of candidates for upcoming elections.

By the time they reached Lok Sabha the doors were closed and voting was complete. The BRS slammed the Congress MPs with party leader Dasoju Sravan for “abdicating from their legislative responsibility” to settle their MLA ticket conflicts.