Badwel MLA Joins TDP

Vijayawada: The Opposition YSR Congress had received yet another jolt on Wednesday with its legislator from Badwel in Kadapa district joining the ruling Telugu Desam. The legislator, T Jayaramulu, met the Telugu Desam supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at his river view residence and joined the party.

This development comes even as the YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy convened a meeting at Hyderabad to see that there were no further desertions from the party. Four legislators and one MLC switched loyalties to the ruling party on Monday giving a rude shock to the YSR Congress.

Jayaramulu, representing the SC reserved Badwel constituency, met Chandrababu Naidu in the presence of Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, party senior leaders Payyavula Kesav, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy and others. He claimed that he had joined the ruling party to develop his most backward Assembly constituency. He further said that he found better chances to develop his constituency if he were in the ruling party.

Meanwhile, the ruling Telugu Desam leadership launched a special drive to get more legislators from the YSR Congress in the next one week. According to the party sources, there are at least half a dozen legislators in queue from the Opposition party to join the TDP. The TDP had already received one legislator Adinarayana Reddy of Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district and two from the neighbouring Kurnool district.