Hyderabad, Aug 31 (IANS): The Congress in Telangana on Thursday invited former minister and BRS leader Tummala Nageswara Rao to join the party.

State Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy met Nageshwara Rao here and invited him to join the Congress.

Nageswara Rao is reported to have responded positively to the invitation by the Congress leaders. He is miffed with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) after he was denied ticket from Palair constituency for the coming Assembly elections.

The BRS has given ticket to Kandla Upender Reddy, who was elected on Congress ticket in 2018 but later defected to the BRS.

Nageswara Rao was elected on BRS ticket from Palair in 2016 by-election. In 2018, he lost to Upender Reddy.

After denial of the ticket, the former minister held a massive show of strength in Khammam. He told his supporters that he will contest the coming Assembly election.

If Nageswara Rao joins the Congress, the party may offer him a ticket from Palair.

Congress leaders hope that this will be a big boost to the party’s prospects in undivided Khammam district.

The Congress is already upbeat after former Khammam MP and suspended BRS leader Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy recently joined the party.