Vayalar Ravi likely to meet AP Cong leaders soon

Ravi, who was here late last night to attend a private function, indicated that he might come back after about a week to talk to party leaders.

Ravi visited Andhra Pradesh at the behest of party high command in the run-up to the crucial bypolls to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency a few months ago, amid reports that Congress was losing ground to Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's party.

He held extensive consultations with party leaders of various levels and undertook field visits to different districts.

Congress won two Assembly seats out of 18 and the lone Lok Sabha seat (won by YSRCP) where bypolls were held, though Jagan's Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) had a thumping victory at the hustings.

Ravi's likely visit to AP next week will be crucial as it comes against the backdrop of speculation that the high command would look into the issues like change of leadership in the state and the contentious Telangana issue.

Also, there have been reports that differences have cropped up between Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy.

While those understood to be supporters of chief minister claim that Jaipal Reddy did not make gas allocations to the state, leaders said to be close to the Union Minister maintain that the allegation is unfounded.