New Delhi:
In a major jolt to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), four of its Rajya Sabha MPs - YS Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh and GM Rao, on Thursday passed a resolution to merge Legislature Party of TDP with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The decision has been taken with inspiration from the impeccable leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his developmental policies in the overall interest of the nation. The resolution has been submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
"The Legislature Party of Telegu Desam in Rajya Sabha met today under the Leadership of Legislature Party's Leader, Shri YS Chowdary and Legislature Party's Deputy Leader Shri CM Ramesh," the letter to merge Legislature Party of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with BJP reads.
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"Inspired and encouraged by the impeccable leadership of Shri Narendra Modi Ji and the development policies being pursued by him in the overall interest of the nation, we have decided to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India," it added.
TDP MPs of Rajya Sabha- YS Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh and GM Rao, today passed a resolution to merge Legislature Party of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with BJP. pic.twitter.com/3ln6qy5l8G
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2019
The development will give a significant boost to the saffron party in the Upper House as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) does not have a majority there yet. While the breakaway faction is very much eager to merge with the BJP, a final decision on the process is still being deliberated.
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With four of its six MPs tipped to merge with the BJP, the TDP will meet the legal requirement of anti-defection law, which mandates the support of at least two-third members for a split to be recognised in Parliament. The Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members and the BJP is the single largest party with 71 MPs.
