TD to Intensify Efforts to Raise Assembly Seats to 225

VIJAYAWADA/HYDERABAD:Though there are several unfulfilled promises in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the ruling TDP is said to have decided to move heaven and earth henceforth to ensure that the promise of enhancing the numerical strength of the State Assembly is fulfilled at the earliest.

The ruling party, which launched an attack  against the YSRC by engineering defections from the latter, has resolved to intensify its efforts at the Centre to ensure that numerical strength of the State Assembly is enhanced from the existing 175 to 225, as per the promise made in the AP Reorganisation Act.

The TDP is banking on this provision to both woo the YSRC legislators and also allay the fears of its leaders who apprehend a threat to their future due to the influx of opposition MLAs. The leadership has been telling them that accommodating the new comers won’t be a problem since 50 more Assembly seats would be created. The TDP leadership on Sunday directed its MPs to undertake lobbying at Delhi to achieve this goal.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu might write a letter to the Centre on Monday, urging it to amend the Constitution to increase the number of Assembly constituencies from 175 to 225.

This was decided in the party MPs meeting chaired by Naidu in Vijayawada on Sunday, a day ahead of introduction of Union budget for 2016-17 in Parliament.

In the meeting, attended by party MPs from both AP and Telangana, along with Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science & Technology YS Chowdary, according to sources, participants debated at length on the pros and cons of engineering defections from the lone opposition party in the State Assembly.

“Our boss Chandrababu Naidu said he wants to induct more MLAs from the YSRC into the TDP as the legislators are extending their support to our party on their own,” TDP MP Avanti Srinivas told Express over phone.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting at Vijayawada, TDP Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh said, “The Centre is ready to make amendments to the Constitution to facilitate delimitation exercise in both AP and Telangana to increase Assembly seats in the two States. I hope a Bill to this effect might be introduced in the ongoing Parliament budget session itself.”

Union Minister Sujana Chowdary said, “Centre has asked for a letter from the Chief Minister as it needs to amend the Constitution to carry out delimitation exercise to increase Assembly seats in both AP and TS. CM Naidu will write a letter to Centre on Monday.”

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