It is said by the Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajendar that several TRS MLAs and other leaders were in touch with the BJP and would join it. Those who had reached out did not want to face bypolls and had requested to keep the matter a secret for now as they would rather serve out their present terms. 

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A few thousand former sarpanches, MPTCs and ZPTCs were waiting to join the BJP and a few hundreds from other parties currently holding such posts. Etala said that they also have three ex-ministers and several former MLAs and leaders from Congress ready to join the BJP.

Denouncing the TRS for introducing a vicious made-up campaign about Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy entering into a quid pro quo deal with the BJP, Etala said, “They are deliberately doing it. They got a third-class report prepared and are trying to demoralise Rajgopal Reddy’s followers and our party workers. But we have a way to counter this, and we will do this by exposing their misdeeds.”

To ensure that the BJP did not bleed as it did in Huzurabad with some of its ground level leaders joining the TRS, Rajendar said one of the strategies in Munugode would be to ensure no non-TRS elected representative, whether from the district, mandal or village level, was coerced into joining the ruling party.