Jolt to Congress: Former Andhra CM Kiran Kumar Reddy joins BJP

New Delhi: Last Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday joined the BJP here in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

He had resigned from the Congress on March 12.

Taking a dig at the Congress leadership, Reddy said, “I had never imagined that I’ll have to leave Congress…There is a saying- ‘My king is very intelligent, neither does he think on his own, nor listens to anyone’.”

Welcoming the leader into the party fold, Union Minister Joshi said, “Several members of Kiran Kumar Reddy’s family were in Congress. When I met him some time ago, he told me that he was influenced by Prime Minister Modi.

Today he is taking a big leap and joining us. He will strengthen our fight against corruption because his image as an MLA and minister has been very clean. It will be a big boost for BJP in Andhra Pradesh”.

Reddy’s decision to join the BJP comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh next year, where the ruling YSR Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party are locked in a bitter contest.

The move could potentially tip the scales in favour of the BJP, which is hoping to make inroads in the state.