The Telugu Desam Party today suffered another jolt as its national vice-president, senior leader and former minister P Ramulu from Achampet of the Mahabubnagar district joined the ruling party along with his followers in the presence of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Ramulu was the sports minister during the Chandrababu Naidu regime in Andhra Pradesh before the bifurcation of the State.
Ramulu later told reporters that he had joined the ruling party for the speedy development of the backward Palamur district. "Since our district is known for migration of workers and coolies, we need to work with the TRS government for its development," he said.
He added that he was also attracted by KCR's welfare schemes and development programs, which was another reason for his shifting to the TRS. He expressed hope that the TRS government would complete the Palamur lift scheme and other irrigation projects on time.
A three-time MLA from Achampet, Ramulu was elected MLA during the 1994 and 1999 general elections, contested unsuccessfully in 2004, and again won in the 2009 elections. However, the TDP leader was defeated by Guvvala Balaraju of the TRS during the 2014 general elections by a margin of 38,385 votes.