YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy is learnt to have decided to adopt KCR’s ‘merger plan’ to vanish prime opposition TDP from the AP Legislative Assembly.

The comments made by Jagan’s close aide and panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy on Friday lend credence to this arugment.

Peddireddy stated that it would be no surprise if ten more TDP MLAs join YSRCP in the near future.

This gives scope for suspicion that Jagan has devised a sketch for merger of TDP Legislature Party into YSRCP Legislature Party similar to what KCR did in Telangana.

KCR stripped Congress of main opposition status by merging CLP with TRSLP in both Legislative Assembly and Council. This merger plan will not attract the provisions of Anti defection law.

If two-third MLAs of any party seek merger with another party, they become official MLAs of party which they merged into.

Congress MLAs and MLCs in Telangana have become TRS MLAs and MLCs after they merged into TRS with two-third majority.

The speaker has the power to approve this and this will not face any legal problems even if someone approaches courts against merger.

Now, Jagan wants to adopt the same method in AP.

Already three TDP MLAs have extended support to YSRCP. If ten more TDP MLAs are willing to join YSRCP, they can merge TDPLP with YSRCPLP without any problem and it has legal sanctity.

TDP will automatically lose main opposition status and Chandrababu Naidu will lose leader of opposition status.

Naidu and remaining TDP MLAs can be sent to back benches in the Assembly, which will be humiliating for a leader of the stature of Naidu.