While a BRS MLA wailed in front of the Ambedkar statue after failing to get renominated, another applied for a Congress ticket even before formally joining the grand old party.

Although the BRS supremo chose to renominate the majority of the sitting MLAs, dropping only seven, despite high incumbency, there was plenty of drama a day after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao released the list of 115 candidates of his party almost three months ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

BRS MLA Ajmera Rekha Naik, a two-time MLA from the Khanapur ST constituency of the Nirmal district who was not renominated by the party, promptly sought Congress tickets from two Assembly constituencies – Khanapur and Asifabad. Her husband Ajmera Shyam Naik joined the Congress yesterday in the presence of PCC president A Revanth Reddy.

Asifabad had voted for Congress in the 2018 Assembly elections, but after winning the seat, MLA Atram Sakku joined the BRS. The ruling party has renominated him. Rekha Naik’s replacement in Khanapur is IT consultant Bhukya Johnson Naik, a close friend and former classmate of BRS working president KT Rama Rao. However, according to the current BRS MLA, the party candidate Bhukya Johnson Naik is not tribal.

Meanwhile, BRS MLA from Station Ghanpur constituency T Rajaiah was seen shedding copious tears in front of Ambedkar’s statue after the party refused to renominate him and gave the ticket to his rival Kadiam Srihari who had been in KCR’s first Cabinet but was dropped in the next.

Rajaiah also had an emotional meeting with his supporters where he cried again but vowed not to leave the BRS. He also made an appeal to his supporters to ensure unity in the party. He also promised to advocate government schemes and welfare initiatives. His wife also said they believe in the sense of justice of KCR who is the working president of the party.

Rajaiah has been accused of sexual molestation by a village sarpanch Kursapalli Navya. While the BRS leadership seemed to be indifferent when Navya had first raised the allegations and threats against Rajaiah, who had come from the Congress, the MLA was eventually dropped and the chief minister brought back his close aide from the days of Telangana statehood protests.

After Etela Rajender had quit the BRS, his slot in the Cabinet remained vacant and that might be another reason to bring back Kadiam Srihari. BRS leaders continued to attack Mynampally Hanumantha Rao over his criticism of T Harish Rao and it seems he would join whichever party offers him two tickets – one for him in Malkajgiri and the other for his son in Medak.