The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has dismissed reports that there would be en masse defection of its MLAs to the YSR Congress Party once the results of Tuesday's by-elections were declared.
Former Minister and MLA J.C. Diwakar Reddy said such reports were without basis. “Even if the YSR Congress party manages to win the by-polls, its margins of victory in most of the constituencies will be less than 10,000 votes,” he said.
According to Minister T.G. Venkatesh, at least six MLAs who switched loyalties to YSR Congress were re-thinking about their decision to leave the ruling party.
This was because of the difficulties they were facing in replying to queries from people on the charges of corruption against Mr. Jagan. “Those who are firm on sailing with Mr. Jagan are doing so because of the deals they have struck with the Kadapa MP and not because of their opposition to the Congress,” he said.
Former Minister P. Shankar Rao wanted AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and other senior leaders to get reports from the contesting candidates about the Ministers and senior leaders who were appointed in-charges of their constituencies.
No speculation
Declining to speculate on the Congress' prospects in the by-elections, he hoped that the efforts of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana to “forge unity among leaders at different levels” would definitely pay dividends to the party.
