evidence: Telangana: Jolt to Congress as leaders set to join BJP [...] The grand old party, which is struggling to survive in its bastion, will be dealt a blow with the party’s Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency in-charge Dr Palvai Harish Rao all set to join the saffron party on February 16 in the presence of BJP State president Bandi Sanjay in Hyderabad. He has officially declared his decision following the suggestion from his followers. The son of former MLA Purushottam Rao, Harish drew attention when he polled 59,000 votes contesting from Sirpur (T) segment on a Congress ticket for the first time in the elections to Telangana Legislative Assembly in 2018. He has been actively participating in programmes of the party. He had joined the outfit ahead of the polls of that year.