Hyderabad: The contentious disqualification of five TD MLCs for defecting to the TRS may finally end soon with Legislative Council chairman K. Swamy Goud accepting their petition seeking merger with the TRS.

According to ruling party sources, out of seven TD MLCs, five MLCs who have defected to the TRS have submitted a petition to the chairman informing him about the meeting of the Legislature Party attended by these five MLCs who forms a majority and resolved to merge the party into the TRS. Council chairman Swamy Goud has taken the petition into consideration and the decision on it is ‘pending.’ TRS sources said the chairman may make an announcement on this issue during the Budget session and most probably decide in favour of the merger of the TD MLCs with the TRS.

Though two members, including the leader of the party Arike Narsa Reddy and Potla Nageswara Rao, were not part of the meeting convened by the five MLCs, they will not have any chance to oppose the merger as their term comes to end by March-April this year. However, it is clearly mentioned in the 10th Schedule of the Constitution that for any merger, the ‘original party should take the initiative and not the Legislature Party.

Even in the case of 17 legislator Prajarajyam party floated by Chiranjeevi, the decision to merge in Congress was initiated by the Original Party in first instance and followed up by Legislature Party.

The Act also clearly mentions that the decision of Presiding Officer on these issues will be final. ' if Chairman going to take decision on merging our party into TRS, we will have to approach a Court of Law only to get justice' said TD leader in Council Arike Narsa Reddy.

Mr Swamy Gowd could not be reached for comment.