HYDERABAD: Congress leader Vanteru Pratap Reddy , who had contested and lost against chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao from Gajwel in the recent assembly elections, joined TRS on Friday. Chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao himself had called up Pratap Reddy on Thursday and invited him to join the ruling party. Pratap Reddy said he was earlier invited to join TRS in 2009, 2014 and also during 2018 polls, but he had delayed the decision for some reasons.In the 2014 polls also he lost to KCR contesting on a TDP ticket. In 2009 elections, he lost to Congress candidate T Narsa Reddy. “I knew very well that KCR would win against me but I fought because of my desire to become an MLA. People have given their verdict in favour of TRS and I have seen how all the schemes are reaching the poor,” Pratap Reddy said justifying his switch to TRS.Welcoming him into the party fold, TRS working president K T Rama Rao said with Pratap Reddy joining the ruling party, all future elections in Gajwel would be a one-sided affair in favour of TRS. KTR said there was scope only for the federal front, proposed by KCR, to come to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections in April-May this year.He said while the Congress and its allies would not be able to get not more than 100-110 seats, the BJP and its allies too would get get around 150-160 seats. “There is scope only for the federal front comprising of various regional parties to come to power,” he said.He said going by the number of votes TRS secured in the recent assembly elections, it could clearly get 15 Lok Sabha seats. “It is only in the Khammam LS seat we appear to be weak, but we will win from there also,” he said expressing confidence that the TRS would win 16 of 17 LS seats in Telangana, with the Hyderabad seat going to MIM.KTR said though AP CM Chandrababu Naidu tried his best to see that TRS does not come back to power, people ignored him. “Naidu is now making statements against the federal front,” he said.

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