Hyderabad: In a big jolt to the Congress in Telangana, as many as 12 of its 18 MLAs were recognised as members of the ruling TRS by the Assembly Speaker Thursday hours after they moved him seeking merger of their group. Capping a day of fast paced political developments, Speaker P Srinivas Reddy acceded to the request of the 12 MLAs considering the fact they constituted two-thirds of the Congress Legislature Party, a requirement for merger under the anti-defection law. A bulletin from the assembly Thursday night said seats had been alloted to the 12 MLAs along with the members of the Telangana Rastra Samithi Legislature Party in the House. Unless the merger is reversed, the Congress is set to lose its Opposition Party status in the assembly as its strength has come down to six. With the merger, the TRS strength in the 119-member House with one vacancy has risen to 100, including the Speaker.

AIMIM led by Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi has seven members in the assembly, while the BJP one. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had won two seats in the December polls, that saw the TRS scoring an impressive win, but one of them had also announced his decision to join the ruling party. The assembly also has an independent and a Forward Bloc MLA. The Speaker's decision came even as the embattled Congress cried foul, accusing the TRS of purchasing its MLAs and announcing its decision to move the court Friday. The setback to the Congress in Telangana comes at a time when the party has been on the backfoot in several states following dissidence among its ranks after the Lok Sabha elections drubbing. The day unfolded with the MLAs meeting Srinivas Reddy and giving him a representation for merger of their group after Rohith Reddy, representing Tandur constituency, became the 12th Congress legislator to jump the ship. In what appears to be a calculated move, the decision of Rohit Reddy to desert the party came a day after the Congress strength in the assembly came down to 18 following resignation of state party chief Uttam Kumar Reddy as MLA on his election to the Lok Sabha.