Wiped out: TRS hammers final nail in TDP’s coffin

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has disappeared without a trace in Telangana, with its MLA from Aswaraopet (ST) segment Mecha Nageswara Rao joining TRS in the presence of TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Wednesday. 

Based on a letter given by Nageswara Rao requesting the Speaker to merge the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) and TRS Legislature Party (TRSLP) in the Assembly, the Legislature Secretariat issued a bulletin later in the evening.

The TDP won two seats in the 2018 Assembly elections. However, Sathupalle (SC) MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah switched his loyalties to TRS in March, 2019. With the second MLA too joining the TRS, TDLP merged with TRSLP. Both the MLAs, elected on a TDP ticket, called on the Chief Minister along with Legislative Affairs Minister Vemula Prasanth Reddy.

The TDP has no presence in the Legislative Council. With this, there is no representation to TDP in both Houses of the Legislature. The TDP was founded by NT Rama Rao in 1982 in Hyderabad. Ironically, the party disappeared where it was founded. 

Meanwhile, Legislature Secretary V Narasimha Charyulu, in a bulletin, stated: “The two members of TDLP — Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and Mecha Nageswara Rao — in the Assembly, have submitted a letter to the Speaker stating that they have resolved to merge with TRSLP under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, and requested to take appropriate action in the matter.” 

The leader of TRSLP had communicated to the Speaker that the TRSLP had agreed to a request for the merger of the two parties, and requested to take necessary action. Therefore, the Speaker had taken note of both the communications and deemed to have merged the said two members of TDLP with TRSLP in the Assembly. Accordingly, seats are allotted to them along with the members of TRSLP in the House.”