The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Azad sees anti-incumbency factor in State

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Saturday, Apr 10, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Azad sees anti-incumbency factor in State

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 9. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and in charge of AP affairs, Ghulam Nabi Azad, sees a comfortable win for his party in the elections here because of a strong anti-incumbency factor.

The BJP-TDP `flop shows' at Nellore, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry this week is the writing on the wall for the ruling combine, he says.

Talking to the reporters here on Friday, Mr. Azad said voters would not opt for Congress rebel candidates as their disenchantment with the ruling party was very strong. The anti-TDP vote would go for official candidates alone, he said adding that the rebel activity in rival camps would any way neutralise the effect of the dissidents in the Congress.

He said he was talking to the disgruntled leaders in the party. Assuring suitable reward to those who had to sacrifice their seats for accommodating alliance candidates, he said no leader would be ignored. The problem of dissidence was more confined to the first phase areas, as the room for manoeuvre was limited due to seat-sharing problems here, whereas the second phase list had found wider acceptance in the party, he said.

Agreeing that the question of social justice had not been fully answered, he said the effort of the high command would be to render justice to all sections while reconstituting the PCC the next time. The APCC and the AICC, however, had carefully exercised the choice in selecting their candidates unlike the TDP, which had accommodated several criminals ( indirectly in some cases by allotting the seat to their spouses) he said.

Referring to the charge of some Congress leaders that money had changed hands in the allocation of ticket, he said it was "rebel talk" that needed no serious attention. Those denied ticket were bound to blame the leadership, he said. It was more a "loser's mentality", he added.

Mr.Ghulam Nabi Azad agreed that the APCC could not sustain the momentum of the bus yatra launched by him. He patted Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for launching the "Jaitra Yatra', successfully. His bus yatra would begin on April 13 and continue till the end. The PCC president, D. Srinivas, would also be asked to undertake a campaign, he added.

Mr. Azad said that the TDP president was belittling Congress leaders out of desperation. He said Mr.Naidu was growing restive at the prospect of losing power and hence, was digging up irrelevant issues.

He said the tirade of Mr. Naidu and BJP leaders against Sonia Gandhi was a poor reflection on the respect they had for the Constitution or the judiciary. The Bofors case was being flogged by them because they had little to offer to the electorate otherwise, he said.

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