The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ZPTC setback stuns Congress

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

ZPTC setback stuns Congress

Party leaders favour detailed review of results and seek remedial action

HYDERABAD: A day after the resignation of two Ministers after they owned moral responsibility for the defeat of the party nominees in Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections, Congress leaders are favouring an introspection about the results and take remedial action.

Stung by the defeat of party nominees in Dendulur and Alur Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency seats falling under constituencies represented by Maganti Venkateswara Rao and M. Mareppa, party leaders are now focussing on what went wrong in these two places apart from Makloor in Nizamabad district where the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wrested the seat from the ruling party.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president D. Srinivas while welcoming the resignations said at a press conference on Saturday that he had sought reports from the District Congress Committees.

Inquiry

“An inquiry will be conducted to verify the reasons for the defeat,” he said, adding, “The results have come as a forewarning to us.”

Senior Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao also stressed the need for a review of the results. “Let the party leadership discuss the results threadbare to find out whether the development programmes initiated by the Chief Minister had percolated to the grassroots level. The meeting should also take stock of the role played by the local leaders in the elections,” he said.

Later, at a meeting of the available APCC office-bearers, several leaders said that growing resentment and dissatisfaction among the cadres over not getting due recognition could have resulted in the defeat.

Some of them even noted that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) had reached a strategic alliance with the Telugu Desam Party in Makloor ZPTC by not fielding a nominee.

“Such developments cannot be ignored,” a senior functionary said.

Interference

Mr. Mareppa said soon after Alur Assembly constituency was de-reserved, a number of aspirants had started interfering in the party affairs. “This has cost the party dear,” he said.

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