Hyderabad:
The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh led by Kiran Kumar Reddy late last night won a no-confidence motion moved by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS and supported by other opposition parties, including Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress.
The government won with 142 legislators voting against the motion; 58 legislators voted in favour of the motion, 64 abstained and 27 remained absent.
Nine Congress legislators voted for the motion, defying the party whip, so did six members of Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party.
The Congress has been under attack by the pro-Telangana parties in Andhra Pradesh over the union government's indecision on whether to allow statehood for Telangana. The demand for bifurcation of the state is led by the TRS, which said the Congress has not kept its promise of a Telangana state.
In a long speech that defended his government, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy highlighted the achievements of his administration. He alleged that the opposition had moved the no-confidence motion as it feared defeat in the local body elections.