Kadiyam Kavya will be the Congress candidate for Lok Sabha from Warangal, replacing the BRS brand. Kavya and her father, Kadiyam Srihari, a senior politician and former deputy CM in the BRS government, joined the Congress on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Congress in-charge Deepadas Munshi.
Kavya, a pathologist who has been involved in public life through her charitable organization Kadiyam Foundation, mentioned recent corruption allegations and phone tapping against the previous regime as reasons for their switch. They believe these allegations have tarnished the party’s reputation.
The move comes shortly after Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, daughter of BRS general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao, also joined the Congress. While Kadiam was previously in TDP before Telangana was formed, Keshav Rao has always been with the Congress.
The defections are seen as a setback for BRS’s chances in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, some members of the Madiga community expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to induct the Kadiyam family into Congress. They feel that Madigas, who have historically supported Congress, will be overlooked if Warangal is also given to the Kadiyam family.
The BRS has named IPS turned politician RS Praveen as their candidate for Nagarkurnool. There is speculation that former Deputy CM T Rajaiah will be fielded from that constituency.
