* Dharma Reddy, Kishan Reddy, R Krishnaiah stay away

* Defections to TRS loom large over TDP's comeback attempt
* To cover Nalgonda on Friday

The TDP Bus Yatra, touted as the party's comeback vehicle in Telangana, got off to a shaky start. While several MLAs led by 'TDP's Hyderabad brothers' Talasani and Teegala Krishna Reddy preferred TRS car to TDP's bus yatra, several other MLAs gave a miss to the yatra.

BC leader R Krishnaiah, who has been keeping away from the party activities, continued his absenteeism. MLA Dharma Reddy, one of the four MLAs who met KCR on Thursday morning and returned to the TDP fold in the evening, too did not attend. However, party sources said Reddy was busy with prior engagements in Warangal and would join the yatra from Saturday. Another MLA Manchi Reddy Kishan Reddy was supposed to join the yatra on city outskirts, but did not turn up.
MLAs Revanth Reddy, senior leader LV Ramana and others were among those who led the yatra.
On the first day of yatra, the TDP leaders would cover Chowtuppal mandal, Koyyalagudem, Chityala, Veliminedu and other areas in Nalgonda district.
They would visit the family members of farmers who committed suicide due to crop failure or debt burden.
They demanded that the TRS government provide uninterrupted power to the agriculture sector for eight hours.

-Sakshipost