Disqualification on the ground of Defection not to apply in case of merger

(1) A member shall not be disqualified under sub-section (1) of section 3, where his political party merges with another political party and he claims that he and any other members of his political party,- (a) have become members of such other political party, or as the case may be, of a new political party formed by such merge : or (b) have not accepted the merger and opted to function as a separate group, and from the time of such merger, such other political party or new political party or group, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the political party to which he belongs for the purposes of sub-section (1) of section 3.