Southern actress Vijayashanti began her political career with BJP before joining TRS and then Congress (Archive)
Hyderabad:
Actor and Congressional leader Vijayashanti will join the BJP, becoming the second big name, after former Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana, to swap parties just days before Hyderabad’s prestigious municipal elections.
A former Lok Sabha deputy from Telangana’s Medak constituency, she is also likely to campaign for the party in Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu, where Assembly elections will be held next year.
Vijayashanti has been missing in action for the past few months, an indication of the growing division between the party and a leader who is reportedly unhappy with the treatment she has received. He is expected to leave soon for the national capital and join the BJP in the presence of Interior Minister Amit Shah, according to a report by the PTI news agency.
She is also the third political leader, after actor Khusboo Sundar, to jump from Congress to the BJP in recent weeks, with the party beset by infighting and accusations of failed leadership.
Vijayashanti will join the BJP, a homecoming of sorts given that he began his political career with them before switching to TRS and then to Congress, he will boost the party’s hopes as they do their best to take control of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation ( GHMC). .
The list of top leaders addressing the BJP is likely to grow, suggested the party’s national vice president, DK Aruna, signaling that tough times are ahead for many of its rivals.
Voting for the 150-seat Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will take place between 7 am and 6 pm on December 1. Chief Minister Rao’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) won 99 seats in the 2016 elections; the BJP won only four and Congress two.
This time, however, buoyed by the result of the Assembly vote in Dubbak, the BJP hopes to win many more and gain a space before the 2024 state elections.
The party has already sent senior leader Bhupender Yadav, who led them to a strong victory in the Bihar elections, to lead their charge, and persuaded Jana Sena’s boss, Pawan Kalyan, to campaign on their behalf.
With input from PTI
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