Rousing reception to KCR on two-day road trip to Maharashtra; NCP leader to join BRS

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has embarked on a two-day road trip to Maharashtra to further consolidate the party’s presence in the Solapur region.

Bhagirath Bhalke, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader from Pandharpur, is among the Maratha leaders that will be joining the BRS.

The BRS chief left Pragathi Bhavan for Solapur by road at 10 am on Monday accompanied by ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and senior party leaders. A huge convoy of hundreds of vehicles and buses carrying party cadres followed the leader. Party workers holding pink flags and banners cheered the convoy en route to Solapur. In many places, KCR shook hands with his fans and party workers responding to their bonhomie.

On reaching Dharashiv, local women leaders welcomed the BRS Chief by offering special’ Arthi’ in a traditional way. The Chief Minister had lunch at Umarga and proceeded to Solapur. Despite heavy rain, the CM’s convoy moved forward. Amid unprecedented welcome from the people of Solapur, the BRS Chief reached Balaji Sarovar Hotel and rested for a while.

After that, he went to the house of BRS leader Dharmana Mundaya Sadul. Dharmanna Sadul was born in a poor Padmasali family of Telangana. Their ancestors were natives of Kannapur village of Karimnagar district. Decades ago they migrated and settled in Solapur. The BRS chief also met representatives of weavers’ communities that have migrated to Maharashtra from the Warangal, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts.

On Tuesday, he will resume his journey and will reach the holy town of Pandharpur. The BRS chief will offer prayers at the famous Vithobha Rukmini temple. He is scheduled to address a public meeting in Sarkoli where he will formally induct Bhagirath Bhalke into the BRS.

Bhagirath contested a byelection unsuccessfully from Pandharpur Assembly seat following the death of his father Bharat Bhalke in 2020.

Announcing his decision to quit the NCP and join the BRS, Bhagirath said that he decided to leave NCP due to the inability of the leadership to address issues that he had time and again voiced in the past two years. He said that he had extensive consultations with his followers before deciding to join the BRS.

On the way back to Hyderabad, KCR will also offer special prayers at the ancient Thulja Bhavani temple in the Dharashiv (Osmanabad) district.