HYDERABAD:Two days ahead of Legislative Council elections under MLAs’ quota, Telangana TDP received another jolt as its Kukatpally MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao joining the ruling TRS.
Krishna Rao called on chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the latter’s farm house at Gajwel on Saturday. Rao welcomed Krishna Rao into the party by offering TRS kanduva.
Krishna Rao said that he was joining TRS as he was attracted by the development works taken up by Chandrasekhar Rao. Roads and buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and energy minister G Jagadish Reddy, TRS Hyderabad president M Hanumantha Rao were present.
The TRS fielded fifth candidate, even as it could win four seats comfortably in the Legislative Council elections, and luring MLAs from other parties making it difficult to TDP’s lone candidate in the fray.
With the joining of Krishna Rao, five out of 15 TDP MLAs joined TRS so far.
Challa Dharma Reddy (Parakal), Manchireddy Kishan Reddy (Ibrahimpatnam), Teegala Krishna Reddy (Maheshwaram) and Talasani Srinivasa Yadav (Sanathnagar) switched their loyalties from the TDP to TRS. Of them Srinivasa Yadav was inducted in the Cabinet. Another TDP MLA R Krishnaiah, a BC leader, has been distancing himself from the TDP and moving closer to the TRS.
The TDP is left with only nine MLAs and it has the support of five BJP MLAs.