Visakhapatnam, July 21 (IANS): In a setback to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), seven of its corporators in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation joined Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Sunday.

The corporators formally joined the TDP in the presence of the party’s state President P. Srinivasa Rao. Visakhapatnam MP Bharat, MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao and other leaders.

Out of 98 corporators in the GVMC, 58 belong to the YSRCP. The TDP has 27 and Jana Sena has three corporators. There is one corporator from BJP while there are three independents.

YSRCP leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath tried to persuade the YSRCP corporators to drop their plans to join the TDP but they did not heed him.

A total of 21 YSRCP corporators are likely to switch loyalties. Another group of corporators may join the TDP on Monday, while some more are likely to join the Jana Sena Party headed by Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan. They are likely to join in the presence of Pawan Kalyan on July 23 or 24.

If 21 corporators leave YSRCP then, it would lose its majority in the municipal body and may also lose the post of Mayor.

Earlier, Amarnath had called a meeting of the YSRCP corporators but 25 of them stayed away.

Meanwhile, TDP MLA Srinivasa Rao has claimed that not just corporators but MLAs and MLCs of the YSRCP are ready to quit and join TDP.