New Delhi: In a setback to former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, his party in the Rajya Sabha split on Thursday and four of its six MPs merged their group into the BJP. Since they constitute two-third of the party in the House, disqualification on account of defection cannot be invoked. They were formally welcomed into the BJP fold in the evening at the party headquarters. With their exit, the TDP is diminished to two MPs in the Rajya Sabha.
BJP working president Jagat Pratap Nadda welcomed them at a Press conference and said party president Amit Shah has accepted the merger. He, along with the four MPs, also called on Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Y S Chowdhary, who had to quit as a minister in the previous Modi government on the TDP withdrawing support, said they had decided to join the BJP in view of "the mood of the nation." TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, responding to the development, said his party "will be back" and such crises were not new to it.
