By IANS,
Hyderabad : With the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) withdrawing its outside support, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh may find itself in a crisis.
The withdrawal of support by MIM, which has seven legislators in the 294-member assembly (the house strength is 295 if a nominated member is also included), may not immediately reduce the government to a minority but would certainly make it more vulnerable.
The ruling party has 155 members in the assembly but with three legislators switching loyalties to YSR Congress party, its actual strength has come down to 152, only four more than the 148 required for a simple majority.
With some more legislators likely to cross over to the YSR Congress, the government may land in deep trouble if the opposition parties table a no-confidence motion.
The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has 86 members, YSR Congress party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) 17 each, Communist Party of India four, Bharatiya Janata Party three, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Lok Satta one each and others six.
Former minister P. Ramchandra Reddy, a known detractor of Chief Minister Kiran kumar Reddy, has already threatened to quit while another legislator of the ruling party has indicated that he may resign.
Political analysts say more defections to YSR Congress party may reduce the government to a minority. The ruling party is also worried over the possibility of some legislators from Telangana crossing over to the TRS due to the central government’s indecision over the issue of a separate Telangana state.
The MIM had supported the government when the TDP moved a no-confidence motion in the assembly in December last year. As many as 17 legislators of Congress party loyal to YSR Congress party had supported the motion. While 160 members opposed the motion, 122 supported it.