Kiran Reddy to decide on new party on Thursday

Reddy resigned as the CM of AP and from the Congress party last month

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy will take a final decision Thursday evening on floating a new political party.

A day after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule, Kiran Reddy met his supporters here to take a final call on his plans. According to leaders close to him, an announcement is likely in the evening.

After resigning as the chief minister and also from the Congress party last month to protest bifurcation of the state, Kiran Reddy held series of meetings with his loyalists to chalk out plans to form a new party.

Kiran has the support of six MPs who were expelled from the Congress party last month, and also some of his former state cabinet colleagues from Seemandhra.

The former chief minister believes that a new party would get people's support in Seemandhra as they feel the Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress all joined hands to split the state.

Earlier, there were speculations that Kiran Reddy dropped the plans to form a new party on the platform of united Andhra Pradesh as not many former ministers and legislators were ready to sail with him. Three former ministers who were considered his supporters have already joined the TDP.

Kiran Reddy, the last chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, resigned Feb 19 to protest passage of the bill in parliament for formation of a separate Telangana state.

He had defied the Congress over its decision to bifurcate the state and accused the party of resorting to unconstitutional and undemocratic measures to divide Telugu-speaking people.