In a setback to the BJP ahead of the November 30 Assembly polls in Telangana, former MP G Vivek Venkataswamy resigned from the party and joined the Congress in the presence of AICC former president Rahul Gandhi here.

In a letter to Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, Vivek, National Executive Board Member of BJ, conveyed his decision.

Vivek was also Chairman of the Telangana BJP manifesto committee for the Assembly polls.

Vivek, who was in the Congress during the Telangana statehood agitation, recalled that he and other MPs of Congress had then fought for realising the goal of Telangana formation.

The then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had fulfilled the Telangana demand in deference to the wishes of people, he said.

Though everybody expected that the aspirations of people would be realised in the new state, it did not happen, he alleged.

Alleging that the BRS government worked for the family of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and not for the people, Vivek said all need to join forces to dislodge the anti-people government of BRS.

TPCC President Revanth Reddy told reporters that he wholeheartedly welcomed Vivek to join the Congress party and he accepted it.

Rahul Gandhi is currently participating in the poll campaign in Telangana.

Vivek's exit comes less than a week after another senior leader Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy who unsuccessfully contested on the saffron party ticket in the by-poll for the Munugode Assembly constituency last year, resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress.

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