Azad, Botsa works out by-poll strategy

New Delhi: PCC President Botsa Satyanarayana said the Congress was devising a winning strategy for the upcoming round of 18 Assembly by-elections and one parliamentary by-election in Andhra Pradesh.

This comes after the Congress faced a rounded drubbing in the just-concluded seven Assembly by-elections, in which the Congress drew a blank.

Botsa Satyanarayana held one-on-one talks with AICC General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad to map out a winning strategy, selection of candidates and ensuring better coordination among the Congress leaders.

Azad also met MPs from the Telangana and Andhra regions separately and sought to impress upon them to ensure that the Congress performs well in the upcoming round of by-elections.

Azad gave certain directions and suggestions to Satyanarayana. In the light of the directions given by Azad, Satyanarayana will meet State Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and other important leaders to work out the nitty-gritty of poll strategy.

Rejecting suggestions that the Congress may rethink whether or not to contest the upcoming round of Assembly and Parliament by-elections, Botsa Satyanarayana said the Congress has policy, programme and ideology and accordingly it will contest polls.

To start with, Botcha Satyanarayana said workers conventions will be organized in all the election-going Parliament and Assembly segments.

The idea is to identify local problems and issues and to come up with suitable responses. Ministers and senior leaders will go to villages and try to address the issues concerning the people, he said.

Defending the recent power tariff hike, Satyanarayana said for the past eight years there was no revision in the power tariff. No commitment was made in the Congress Election Manifesto that power tariff would never be revised.

It had to be done sometime and so it was done. Even if it proves to be an unpopular decision that may impact the electoral outcome in the upcoming by-elections, even then there was no escape from taking such important decisions, he said.

Reacting to the YSR Congress Party, he said that during the Kadapa parliamentary by-election, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy got five lakh votes majority.

In Kovur Assembly by-election, the margin slumped dramatically and Jaganmohan Reddy was pinned down to the constituency for 10 days for campaign. This showed how political fortunes fluctuate, he said.