Andhra Pradesh: Kandula Sivananda Reddy, former MLA and his brother Kandula Rajamohan Reddy, popularly known as the Kandula brothers, joined the BJP in the presence of union minister Venkaiah Naidu here on Sunday.

The Kandula brothers who are arch polical rivals of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in Kadapa district, joined the BJP in a public meeting held at municipal stadium.

The Kandula brothers hail from the Kandula family, which was headed by their father Kandula Obula Reddy, was elected two times as an MP on a Congress ticket from Kadapa parliamentary constituency.

After his demise, his son Kandula Sivananda Reddy won from the Kadapa assembly constituency in 1989 as a Congress candidate, after which both the brothers joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

His brother Kandula Rajamohan Reddy who is an industrialist, unsuccessfully contested thrice from Kadapa parliamentary constituency as a TDP candidate, twice against the late YSR and once against his brother Y S Vivekananda Reddy.

However, during his term, the late YSR brought him back to the Congress during his term as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, but they joined the TDP again and were silent for a long time.

Recently, just before 2014 general elections, they joined the YSR Congress at Machilipatnam, but they grew aggrieved, allegedly due to YSR Congress party president Jaganmohan Reddy's behavior and finally decided to join the BJP.