Former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, one of the richest politicians in the country, on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Reddy, who quit the Congress party last year, formally joined the saffron party at the massive public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top party leaders at Parade Grounds.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party's national president J. P. Nadda formally welcomed Reddy into the party fold.
Reddy took the decision after BJP national general secretary incharge of party affairs in Telangana, Tarun Chug along with Telanganae BJP president Bandi Sanjay met him last week and invited him to join the party.
Reddy had later said that only BJP can be a real alternative to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
An engineer and entrepreneur, Vishweshwar Reddy is husband of Sangita Reddy, managing director of Apollo Hospitals. He had declared assets worth Rs 895 crore in the 2019 elections.
Reddy, who was with the ruling TRS before switching loyalties to the Congress, had earlier stated that both the Congress and the BJP can't be an alternative to the TRS.
He had also hinted at floating a new regional party with an aim to defeat TRS in the 2023 Assembly elections.
He was planning to bring together leaders of various smaller parties and even those TRS leaders who are unhappy with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to form an alternative.
Vishweshwar Reddy had fought and won the Lok Sabha elections from Chevella on TRS ticket in 2014. During his term, he was one of the richest serving MPs.
He is the only parliamentarian from India to be granted a US patent while serving as a Member of Parliament.
As an engineer by profession, Reddy had worked as an adjunct faculty in the New Jersey Institute of Technology, N.J., Essex County College, Newark, U.S. A successful software entrepreneur, he founded Citadel Research & Solutions, a company involved in engineering research and development.
He quit TRS before the 2019 elections and joined Congress. He contested again from Chevella but lost to the TRS candidate.