TDP suffers double jolt in Telangana as floor leader, MLA join TRS

In a major jolt to the already ailing Telangana Telugu Desam Party (T-TDP), party’s floor leader in the Assembly Errabelli Dayakar Rao has decided to join the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday.

He, along with another MLA Prakash Goud, is joining TRS, thus taking the total number of TDP MLAs joining the party to nine, out of the 15 who have won the 2014 elections. It is believed that two more T-TDP MLAs are in touch with the TRS and they will make an announcement in a public meeting in a day or two. The strength of TRS in the Telangana Assembly now stands at 80 out of 119, with the strength added from other parties.

In all, four MLAs from Congress, two from YSRC, two from BSP and seven from the TDP have joined the TRS. “I am happy that KCR has promised to help develop my constituency. If two-thirds join TRS it will be better as there will be no TDP in Telangana. There is a chance that at least 2 to 3 will join TRS very soon. I still like Chandrababu Naidu personally. I fear that the TDP will not survive in Telangana; hence I invite all TDP MLAs to join TRS,” Errabelli told media after meeting TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Former minister T Srinivas Yadav, T Krishna Reddy, M Kishan Reddy, G Sayanna, Dharma Reddy, M Krishna Rao and KP Vivekanda Goud are among the TDP leaders who deserted the party and joined TRS.