YCP Patapatnam MLA rejoins TDP

The YCP on Monday lost another wicket, that of Kalamata Venkataramanamurthy of Patapatnam in Srikakulam district. The MLA announced on the occasion that he had been much impressed with the development being brought about by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Murthy is the first MLA from the North Coast to join the TDP. The YCP MLAs have been leaving the Jaganmohan Reddy party in its stronghold of Rayalaseema. In the previous 10 years, Murthy had been with the TDP. It was under extraordinary circumstances that he had to join the YCP. But now he would be back in the home party of TDP. He would be joining the TDP on March 4. With the Patapatnam MLA leaving, the YCP strength has fallen to 60 in the State Assembly. The party that boasted that with the defection of 21 TDP MLAs, it could bring down the Chandrababu government is now counting the chickens in the wake of defections.