Even as the Telugu Desam Party was planning to score a point over its rival Telangana Rashtra Samiti, by staging a show of strength, the TRS made a successful counter attack by bringing a TDP MlA into its fold. In the continuing war between the two parties, TDP MlA from Ibrahimpatnam M Kishan Reddy met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at his residence in Hyderabad and announced his decision to switch his loyalties to the ruling party.
TRS bigwigs were continuing their efforts to bring around at least two more TDP MlAs — Krishna Rao and Prakash Goud from Ranga Reddy district — to further erode the yellow party's base in the region. However, Krishan Rao denied any such plan and said that he will remain with the TDP and Chandrababu Naidu. M Kishan Reddy will be formally inducted into the TRS on the stage of party's plenary starting at the lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.
"I have decided to join the TRS in the interest of the development of my constituency", Kishan Reddy told the reporters after meeting the Chief Minister. The expected development took place when the TDP was busy in planning a show of strength during party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's visit to Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.
"Naidu will be taken to Mahbubnagar in a massive rally from Hyderabad to send a clear message to the political rivals that even after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the party remains a force in Telangana", said a senior TDP leader. Apart from touring different parts of the district, which was once the stronghold of the party, Naidu will also address a public meeting in Mahbubnagar. The party has made elaborate arrangements to make it a big success.
This is the second such visit by Naidu to a district of Telangana. Earlier, he had undertaken a similar visit to Warangal. In the war of attrition, the ruling TRS has an upper hand so far as it already brought three TDP MlAs and many top leaders into its fold.