Cong retrospects reasons behind Andhra bypolls defeat

Actor Chiranjeevi, who merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress, took a lead and submitted his own report to party chief Sonia Gandhi on why the party suffered defeat at the hands of the fledgling YSR Congress and suggested some remedial measures to bring the party back to glory in the state.

Though Congress lost the prestigious Tirupati Assembly seat which was previously held by Chiranjeevi, it won two seats in coastal Andhra region, dominated by members of Kapu community to which the matinee idol belongs.

It is learnt that Chiranjeevi has suggested in his report that Congress should give more importance to leaders and cadres from Kapu community.

 

Chiranjeevi was the star campaigner for the Congress in the June 12 by-elections to 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha segment.

Besides, around eight ministers are camping in the capital ostensibly to be present when Pranab Mukherjee files nomination for Presidential election.

The ministers are expected to meet General Secretary in-charge of the state Ghulam Nabi Azad and give their views on the by-poll defeat.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana will also be in the capital tomorrow and are expected to meet Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.

The Congress won only two of the 18 seats it contested while the TRS managed to win a seat. Rest 15 seats and a Lok Sabha segment went to the YSRC headed by Jagan, who is now lodged in a prison in Hyderabad.

The Congress has been on the backfoot in Andhra Pradesh ever since its leader Y S Rajasekhara Reddy died in a helicopter crash in September, 2009 owing to the rise of Jagan and its indecision on the Telangana issue. The party has also been losing successive bypolls since then.