Jagan makes Congress nervous of by-polls
Hyderabad: The Congress leadership in the State is jittery over the coming by-polls to 18 Assembly constituencies. While 17 of these are necessitated by the disqualification of 17 Congress legislators who have defected to the YSR Congress party, the other seat is falling vacant with the nomination of actor turned politician Chiranjeevi to the Rajya Sabha as the Congress nominee.
The Congress leadership is worried as it faces an uphill task of retaining its seats it won in 2009. Except the Tirupati seat, from where Chiranjeevi was elected on the then Praja Rajyam Party ticket, in the rest of the constituencies, which will go to by-polls now, Congress won in 2009.
With YSR Congress Party leader Jaganmohan Reddy drawing huge crowds and with speculation that his party candidates may create a wave in their favour, the Congress leadership in the State is finding it difficult to chalk out any strategy to face the ground realities.
With Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), under the leadership of K Chandrasekhar Rao, is expected to come out with impressive victories in the just concluded by-polls in the six Assembly segments in the Telangana region and Jagan gaining ground in the Seemandhra region, the Congress is facing a real crisis.
Though, it was initially speculated that Chiranjeevi's brother and actor Nagababu would contest from Tirupati, Chiranjeevi made it clear that none from his family would contest from Tirupati.
This led to some of the local Congress leaders including former MLA Ramana trying his best to get the party's nod. Meanwhile, Minister G Aruna's son and industrialist Jayadev had expressed his interest to contest on the Congress ticket.
Besides the Jagan factor, the Congress leadership is also worried that the TDP may get some seats in the ensuing by polls. None of the Congress leaders was confident of winning at least some seats in the coming by-polls.
Asked on the party's prospects, Rajya Sabha nominee Renuka Chowdary maintained that the Congress would take everything in its stride, winning or losing.
News Posted: 21 March, 2012
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