Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Konathala predicts Congress, TDP alliance in bypolls

VISAKHAPATNAM: Former Minister and YSR Congress leader Konathala Ramakrishna has predicted that the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will join hands in the by-elections to the Assembly to counter the growing popularity of former Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Addressing a media conference here on Friday, he said that Mr. Reddy had tremendous following which was revealed by the recent Nielsen ORG survey. According to the survey, 49 per cent of voters were in favour of YSR Congress, 16 per cent in favour of Congress and 17 per cent favoured Telugu Desam. There were indications that Congress and TDP could enter into an electoral alliance in the by-elections. The TDP would not field its candidate in the Kadapa by-election. It would support the Congress, he said. The former MP, however, said that even if the two parties went together they would not be in a position to defeat Mr. Reddy.

Council polls

Referring to the victory of Congress candidate Mohd. Jani in the council election by a whisker, Mr. Ramakrishna countered the allegation that the loyalists of Mr. Reddy had indulged in cross voting. He alleged that the Congress MLAs were asked to vote for Telugu Desam nominees for the second and third preference votes. The Congress leaders were themselves saying that the Chief Minister had asked the cadre to vote for the Telugu Desam in Council polls.

He recalled that late Rajasekhara Reddy had given 4 per cent reservation to Muslims during his tenure and now Mr. Reddy was also pursuing the same policies. Mohd. Jani, who was close to the former Chief Minister, would have won in the first round itself, if the Congress had love for the minorities. He demanded that the State government should come out with an explanation as to why Mohd. Jani had won in the elimination round.

He wanted to know whether the Congress leadership would suspend Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy from the party for his anti-party activities. The Congress should otherwise admit that the TDP was an ally of the Congress, he added.

Replying to a query, he said there was no point in the suspension of YSR Congress leaders in East Godavari district now as they had left the Congress long ago.

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