TRS formally joins NDA fold

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), fighting for a separate Telangana state in Andhra Pradesh, Sunday formally joined the National Democratic Alliance at a public rally in Ludhiana on Sunday.

TRS chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao arrived in this industrial city of Punjab and shared the dais with the entire top brass of NDA leaders.

Rao was felicitated by Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the presence of the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh.

Rao had earlier announced that his party was joining the NDA.

The TRS had been with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government but after many flip-flops over the Telengana issue, the TRS finally walked out of the UPA fold. It then went with the Left-led Third Front. It joined the NDA after the BJP stated that it favours smaller states.

First Published: May 10, 2009 14:30 IST