Former Congress Leader Meets BJP Chief JP Nadda Hours After Joining Party

New Delhi: Hours after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday met the party’s national president JP Nadda in the national capital here.

Earlier in the day, Mr Reddy, who served as the last Chief Minister for undivided Andhra Pradesh, joined BJP at a function organized at the party headquarter.

Mr Reddy on March 13, 2023, sent a letter to the Congress’ national president Mallikarjun Kharge. “Please accept this letter as my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress,” he wrote in a letter.

Mr Reddy became Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister on November 11, 2010, but resigned on March 10, 2014, to protest against the Congress party’s decision to bifurcate the state.

Notably, he even made the assembly pass a resolution opposing the central government’s draft bill on the bifurcation of the state.

The former CM had resigned from the Congress party in 2014 too, to protest against the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and carve out Telangana.

He formed his own party ‘Jai Samaikyandhra’ and even fielded candidates in some constituencies in the 2014 elections.

In 2018, he again rejoined Congress after meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

He also served as assembly speaker from 2009 to 2010 and chief whip between 2004-09 under YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)