Cong to finalise candidates for AP polls by Mar 28: Digvijay

Congress would finalise its candidates for the coming elections in Andhra Pradesh by March 28, in-charge of party affairs in the state, Digvijay Singh said today.

In the wake of separate PCCs being appointed for Telangana and Seemandhra, the AICC general secretary today began consultations here with the office-bearers of the two units on election preparations.

"The Telangana Congress Committee meeting is there today and on 15th (of March) Seemandhra Congress Committee, election committee meeting would take place. The names that have come from blocks and districts would be placed before the AICC screening committee. We will finalise our candidates between March 22 and 28," he told reporters upon his arrival in the city.

Moving forward following the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, Congress on March 11 appointed separate PCC chiefs for Seemandhra and Telangana.

N Raghuveera Reddy has been appointed PCC chief for Seemandhra, while the party has named Ponnala Lakshmaiah as the state chief for Telangana.

Besides, Uttam Kumar Reddy has been appointed as the working president for Telangana.

Congress hopes to do well in Telangana though the TRS has ruled out a merger with the national party and suspense continued whether the two parties would have an alliance for the elections or not.

Digvijay Singh is expected to focus his attention on the issue during his three-day stay in Hyderabad.

Under flak for bifurcation of AP, prospects of Congress in Seemandhra are seen to be bleak, and a number of ministers, MLAs and MPs have since quit the party in the region.