5 MLCs 'merge' TDP into TRS

Giving a major blow to TDP in Telangana, five of its MLCs quit the party and donned pink scarves by joining the TRS.

Causing further embarrasment, the five MLCs have planned a strategy to escape anti-defection law. TDP has 7 members in the legislative Assembly and out of them, five MLCs have already bid adieu to the party.
The five Telangana TDP MLCs, including Bodakanti Venkateswarlu, Balasani Lakshmi Narayana and Narendra Reddy, on Monday met legislative Council Chairman Swamy Goud and told him that they would merge their party into the TRS.
Speaking to the media , TDP MLC Venkateswarlu said that under provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, such merge would be allowed if it was supported by two-third of the party's MLCs. " We (five MLCs) took unanimous decision to merge with the TRS. We requested the chairman to consider us as TRS MLCs from now on and also submitted a memorandum to this effect," he said.
The defectors may escape disqualification as the number is more than five, which is more than two-thirds.