Telangana Congress MLA Sabitha Indra Reddy set to join TRS

Hyderabad, March 13 (IANS) In the latest shock to Congress in Telangana, its senior leader and legislator Sabitha Indra Reddy and her son Karthik Reddy are set to join the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Sabitha Reddy, a former Home Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, and her son met Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday where she is understood to have sought a cabinet berth for herself and a TRS ticket for her son from Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, reportedly agreed to give field Karthik Reddy but made no commitment on inducting her in his cabinet.

According to sources in Sabitha Reddy's family, they will formally join the TRS at a public meeting to be held soon in Chevella.

Sabitha Reddy had last Sunday met KCR's son and TRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao at the residence of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi, who is playing a key role in Sabitha Reddy's induction in TRS.

Following this meeting, state Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy had maintained that Sabitha Reddy will not leave the party. Congress Working President Revanth Reddy had also called on her to persuade her not to defect.

A key leader in Ranga Reddy district near Hyderabad, Sabitha Reddy was Home Minister in the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy goverment.

She was elected from Maheswaram Assembly constituency in the December 7 elections. However, her son had quit the Congress on the poll eve after he was denied ticket from the Rajendranagar constituency, which the party had left for its alliance partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

With four MLAs defecting to TRS this month, the Congress party's tally in 119-member Assembly has come down to 15.