Hyderabad, Jul 19 (IANS): The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday appointed Bakkani Narasimhulu as the new President of its Telangana unit.

TDP national President and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu appointed Narasimhulu, a former MLA and Dalit leader.

Narasimhulu met Naidu at the party office in Amaravati and thanked him for giving him the new responsibility. Naidu congratulated him and hoped that under his leadership, the TDP will grow stronger in Telangana.

He also met TDP national General Secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh, who congratulated and stressed the need for standing by the side of the people and fight for solutions to their problems.

Narasimhulu succeeded L. Ramana, who last week resigned from the TDP and joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Ramana, a former MP and former minister, had been heading the TDP in Telangana since bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

Several key leaders of the TDP have defected to the TRS during the last seven years. The party's cadres at grass root level also switched loyalties to the ruling party.

The TDP currently has no MLA or MP in Telangana.

In 2014 elections, the TDP had won 15 seats in 119-member Telangana Assembly. Barring one, all had defected to TRS. Its lone MP from Telangana had also switched loyalties to the TRS.

In 2018, the TDP could win only two seats and both of the MLAs recently joined the TRS.