After pulling off a silent coup by poaching four TDP Rajya Sabha MPs, it is learnt that the BJP has intensified its efforts to persuade sitting MLAs from Chandrababu Naidu’s party to switch loyalties.

As the Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government has emphatically clarified that it wouldn’t encourage defection of MLAs without resignation, sources said that the saffron party was devising methods to poach at least 2/3rd of the TDP’s flock from the Assembly to avoid the implications of the anti-defection law.

The TDP has 23 MLAs in the Assembly and, to circumvent the anti-defection law, over 15 of them have to join the saffron party, which practically may not be possible. However, the BJP sources claimed most of the TDP leaders were in touch with their party.

“The question of violating the anti-defection law arises only if less than 2/3rds of MLAs join us. But, we are taking care so that the problem wouldn’t arise, which is why it is taking time to welcome them into our party. Otherwise, a few of them would have already been onboard,” a senior leader claimed.

Speculation is also rife that TDP Visakhapatnam MLA and former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao is coordinating with other key leaders to jump the ship.

While it remains to be seen if the BJP’s plans are mind games or hollow claims, the party seems to be adopting the same strategy the Telangana Rashtra Samithi did in Telangana.

Twelve of the 18 MLAs, exactly 2/3rd of the Congress members in the Assembly, merged with the TRS a few weeks ago. And if the saffron party could stage another coup, it would prove devastating for Chandrababu Naidu, who put up a brave face after his Rajya Sabha members abandoned the TDP and maintained that crisis was nothing to his party.

But with no BJP Legislature Party (saffron party couldn’t win a single seat in recent polls) in the State Assembly, how could the TDP-BJP merger happen?

“The MLAs, as per the constitution, can ask the Speaker to consider them a separate group. There wouldn’t be any legal impediments,” the BJP leader reasoned.

Meanwhile, even as the TDP challenged merger of the party with the BJP in the Rajya Sabha, the saffron party leaders said the process was done as per rule book.  

In a statement released by the party, on Friday, it was noted that the four Rajya Sabha members from TDP signed a resolution to merge their party and also wrote to the BJP President regarding the same.

They also met the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who forwarded the letter given to him to the Secretary-General of the Upper House, the note said. The matter was examined by the Secretariat in detail as per the Constitutional provisions contained in paragraph four under Tenth Schedule. After considering all aspects, the Chairman has taken cognisance of the merger,” the statement read.

Thereafter, the Secretariat finished the other formalities and requested the four MPs to fill up Form-III afresh. Accordingly, changes were made in Rajya Sabha records the same day the MPs submitted the resolution.

“The matter attained finality and reached its logical conclusion in full conformity with the constitutional provisions,” the statement noted.