Hyderabad: In a political development in Telangana, former state president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Bhargav Deshpande has left the Congress and joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), criticising the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
Deshpande joined the BRS on Sunday, October 25, in the presence of party working president K. T. Rama Rao at his Hyderabad residence. Rama Rao welcomed him into the party by presenting him with the BRS’s pink scarf.
Deshpande Questions Congress Leadership
Deshpande alleged that the Telangana Congress leadership was not functioning in line with the party’s national leadership. He claimed that the party had changed significantly since Revanth Reddy joined it in 2017 and argued that long-standing Congress workers were being sidelined.
Deshpande said he had joined the Congress as a teenager in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He also served twice as president of the Adilabad District Congress Committee.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the state leadership, he said his concerns about the party’s image and functioning at the grassroots level had not received an adequate response from senior leaders.
BRS Seeks to Strengthen Its Position
Deshpande’s entry comes as political parties in Telangana prepare for the upcoming Graduate MLC elections and the 2028 Assembly elections.
The move could strengthen the BRS’s efforts to expand its presence in Adilabad, a region where the BJP has also maintained a strong political base. BRS leaders have indicated that more Congress functionaries could join the party at a farmers’ rally scheduled in Adilabad on November 1.
A Challenge for Revanth Reddy’s Congress
Deshpande’s departure follows the exit of other senior Congress figures who have raised concerns about the state leadership. Former Congress leader T. Jeevan Reddy also joined the BRS in April 2026 after expressing dissatisfaction with the party’s state leadership.
While Deshpande’s move adds to the political challenges facing the Telangana Congress, its wider impact will depend on whether more party workers follow him and how the parties perform in upcoming elections.
