AP Bifurcation: Kiran Reddy to float new party at weekend

eddy is expected to announce the party and its goals at the temple town of Tirupathi in his home district

Andhra Pradesh caretaker chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is all set to announce the launch of a new political party by this weekend, based on a calculation that the post-bifurcation scenario provides an ample space for a new political entity in the Seemandhra region consisting of 13 districts.

Reddy is expected to announce the party and its goals at the temple town of Tirupati  in his home district, Chittoor, after having a darshan of Lord Balaji on one of the days between Friday and Sunday, according to sources close to the development.

Kiran Reddy had announced his resignation from the Congress party in addition to the post of chief minister on February 19, while criticising the leadership for the manner in which the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed in Parliament.  

He is believed to be of the opinion that almost half of the electorate in Seemandhra are unwilling to vote for any of the existing political parties. A new party, helped by his image as a chief minister who defied the Congress leadership in opposing the bifurcation, would likely attract these voters to make an impact in the ensuing Assembly elections, according to sources close to him.

As part of the opinion gathering exercise and also to build momentum ahead of the crucial announcement, Kiran Reddy started a fresh round of meetings beginning with the expelled MPs on Sunday. He is holding a meeting with MLAs and MLCs on Monday. He is also expected to address a large gathering of  people — expected to come from across the 13 districts— in the city, pressing for the new party before leaving for Tirupati, according to sources.

However, it is unclear if all the MPs expelled during the passage of the Telangana Bill or all those MLAs and MLCs who are meeting Reddy following his resignation would be part of the new party. For instance, state ministers who moved closely with him such as Ganta Srinivasa Rao, TG Venkatesh and Erasu Pratap Reddy were rumoured to be joining the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Also, some of the Congress ministers and MLAs who are looking for alternative options in the next elections are preferring the YSR Congress or the TDP over the yet-to-be-announced party because they feel it is safe to build on the existing voter base of these parties rather than starting from scratch, according to political analysts.

As for Kiran Reddy’s camp, the loyal voter base of YSR Congress and the TDP would be in the range of 25-26 per cent each and the remaining voters, including the traditional Congress vote bank, are non-transferable to any of the existing parties.