Hyderabad: The meeting between former BRS MLA Balka Suman and Congress MLA Vivek Venkataswamy in the Telangana Assembly lobbies has sparked political discussions. The two leaders were engaged in talks for nearly 30 minutes on Tuesday, drawing attention from political circles.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) was reportedly surprised to see them together. Sources indicate that upon noticing their discussion, KTR remarked, “What a surprise!” before briefly conversing with Vivek. Adding to the intrigue, an MLA attempting to take a photograph of the trio was stopped by KTR.
Both leaders have a history of contesting against each other. During the Telangana movement, Vivek, then a Congress MP from Peddapalli, resigned from the party and joined TRS (now BRS). However, just before the 2014 elections, he returned to Congress and contested as an MP from Peddapalli, where TRS fielded Balka Suman, who secured victory.
Over the years, Vivek switched affiliations between Congress, BRS, and BJP before rejoining Congress ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. In the recent polls, he contested as the Congress candidate from Chennur and won, while Balka Suman represented BRS.
Their unexpected meeting in the Assembly has fueled political speculation, given their past electoral battles and shifting party loyalties.