The Hindu : CPI holds talks with Congress on seat-sharing in AP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

CPI holds talks with Congress on seat-sharing in AP

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 5. The Communist Party of India today held talks with the Congress on a possible understanding both for the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, even as a founding member of the Telugu Desam Party, D. Venkateswara Rao, had a meeting with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.

The CPI national secretary, D. Raja and A.P. state secretary, Sudhakar Reddy, had a meeting with senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad and senior state leader, Y. Rajasekara Reddy here.

It is understood that the preliminary talks were to convey that the CPI and the CPI(M) would work together in Andhra Pradesh with the aim of defeating the Telugu Desam Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine.

The CPI is also reported to have said that the party would not have any objection if the Congress arrives at an understanding with the Telengana Rashtra Samiti. At its recent meeting at Hyderabad, the CPI has advocated an electoral understanding/pact with the TRS, even though the CPI(M) was opposed to it.

Meanwhile, the meeting of Venkateswara Rao, son-in-law of the TDP founder and former Chief Minister, N.T. Rama Rao, with Ms. Sonia Gandhi, assumes importance in the wake of reports about his imminent entry into the Congress.

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Andhra Pradesh