This Article is From Apr 03, 2012

Andhra Pradesh Congress chief likely to visit Delhi to discuss by-polls

Hyderabad: Congress Chief Botsa Satyanarayana is likely to visit Delhi soon to discuss with the party leadership the preparations for by-polls to be held for 17 assembly seats.

Mr Satyanarayana is likely to visit the national capital in the next couple of days, party sources said.

Having drawn a blank in the by-elections held for seven seats recently, Congress is keen on putting up a good show in the next round.

The by-polls to the 16 of the 17 seats have been necessitated due to the disqualification of the sitting Congress MLAs, who switched loyalty to Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and voted against the Congress government during a floor test, while the sitting member quit her post in support of Jagan in another segment.

The MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker last month and the by polls have to be held within six months. However, the schedule has not been announced so far.

Some party sources claimed that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is also likely to go Delhi to take part in the deliberations, but there was no immediate confirmation.

The drubbing in the recent by polls may also come up for discussion during the talks with the party leadership, they said.

Particularly disappointing for the Congress in the recent by polls is that the Kovur seat was won by YSR Congress of Jagan and the Congress nominee stood a distant third.

The alleged differences between the Chief Minister and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President may also figure during the talks, sources said.

The differences are reportedly over the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into liquor businesses in the PCC President's native Vizianagaram district.

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