Hyderabad: Ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh seems to be trying to compensate the losses it suffered in Telangana by encouraging the defections from the opposition YSR Congress Party.

While most of its MLAs in Telangana have defected to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti, TDP was welcoming the MLAs YSRCP into its fold. The number of YSRCP MLAs defecting to the TDP mounted to five today as Jaya Ramulu, MLA from Badvel joined the TDP. Party President and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu welcomed him in to the TDP ranks by offering him yellow colour bandana.

The development was being seen as a direct challenge to the YSRCP supremo YS Jaganmohan Reddy as Badvel is the part of his home district Kadapa.

“I have joined the TDP attracted by the development work of Chief Minister Naidu”, Jaya Ramulu said. “I am doing it to ensure the development of my constituency”, he said denying that he was lured by the TDP.

Earlier YSRCP suffered a major blow when his right hand man Bhuman Venkat Nagi Reddy, MLA from Nandyal joined the TDP along with three other MLAs and one MLC.

The defecting MLAs include Nagi Reddy’s daughter Akhila Priya from Allagadda, Jaleel Khan (Vijayawada West) and C Adinarayana Reddy (Jammalamadugu) and MLC Ch Narayana Reddy.

There were speculations that some more YSRCP MLAs and other leaders were planning to follow their suit.

Most of the defections have taken place in the Rayalaseema region which was seen as a stronghold of the YSRCP. The increasing legal troubles of Jagan over the cases related to the disproportionate assets and alleged corruption were adding to a sense of disquiet and uncertainty in the party.

A local court has summoned Jagan and 18 other accused in connection with the second charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

Meanwhile Jaganmohan Reddy was busy in meeting with the bigwigs of the Central government. Today he called on the union home minister Rajnath Singh and submitted a memorandum demanding that the Center should fulfil all its promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of the bifurcation of the state including special category status and special financial package.

Meanwhile Telangana minister T Srinivas Yadav, who was earlier in Telugu Desam ridiculed Naidu for encouraging defections from YSRCP while opposing them in Telangana. He wondered how Naidu who had complained to Telangana Assembly speaker against the TDP MLAs joining the TRS, can accept the YSRCP MLAs in to its fold. “Chandrababu Naidu is the biggest hypocrite”, he said.

With these defection the strength of the YSRCP has depleted to 62 while TDP’s strength has gone up to 107.