Hyderabad: In a significant political shift in Telangana, former Achampet MLA Guvvala Balaraju, who recently quit the BRS, met BJP State president G. Kishan Reddy at his Tarnaka residence on Friday. Kishan Reddy later announced that Balaraju would formally join the BJP on August 11.
Balaraju had resigned from both the BRS and his position as Nagarkurnool district president on August 2, sending his resignation letter to K. Chandrashekar Rao by fax. At the time, he said the decision to leave was not taken lightly, recalling his two decades of service in the party and crediting KCR for his political training.
From denial to BJP entry
Balaraju had earlier dismissed speculation linking his resignation to the Kaleshwaram project report or to a planned switch to the BJP, claiming that leaders from various parties, including the Congress, had invited him to join. However, his sudden meeting with the BJP State chief and announcement of joining has surprised both Achampet constituents and BRS leaders.
Born on June 10, 1981, in Wanaparthy village, Mahabubnagar district, Balaraju studied at Zilla Parishad High School in Wanaparthy, graduated from New Government Degree College in Khairatabad, and earned an LLM from PRR Law College, Hyderabad. He contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Nagarkurnool as a TRS candidate but lost to Manda Jagannatham. In 2014 and 2018, he won the Achampet Assembly seat, defeating Congress candidate Chikkudu Vamsikrishna. He served as BRS Nagarkurnool district president from January 26, 2022, but lost the 2023 Assembly election to Vamsikrishna. Since then, he had kept away from party activities until his recent resignation.
