With 2 MLAs joining TRS, Telugu Desam Party loses its presence in Telangana assembly

The Telugu Desam Party, which hitherto had a nominal presence in Telangana, lost its existence in the state assembly completely on Wednesday, with both the MLAs of the party joining the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

The two lawmakers – Sandra Venkata Veeraiah from Sattupalli assembly constituency and Mecha Nageshwara Rao from Ashwaraopet constituency (both in Khammam district) – wrote a letter to assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Wednesday evening, stating that they were merging the Telugu Desam Legislature Party with the TRS.

Subsequently, state legislature secretary Narasimha Chary issued a bulletin, acknowledging the merger and the two TDP legislators as TRS members.

In the December 2018 elections, the TDP won only two seats in the 119-member Telangana assembly. With both these members joining the TRS, the TDP has lost its identity in the state. The strength of the TRS has now gone up to 103. The Congress has six MLAs, while the MIM has seven and the BJP two. There is one vacant seat, that of Nagarjunasagar for which by-election is being held on April 17.

In fact, Veeraiah has already been moving closely with the TRS for the last two years but Nageshwara Rao has been loyal to the TDP so far. Now, he, too, has moved to the TRS.

“I was forced to take the decision, because I realised there is no future for the TDP in Telangana. That is why, I submitted my resignation to the TDP and joined the TRS for the sake of the people of my constituency and their development,” Nageshwara Rao said, after meeting TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the latter’s residence Pragati Bhavan.

He hoped that he would be able to do justice for his constituency as a TRS legislator.