It is possible for the Congress to win for the third consecutive time in the Assembly elections and score hat-trick, said speakers at the Vijayawada East Assembly Constituency Congress party workers’ general body meeting here on Sunday.
It has been a tradition of former Minister and MLA of the erstwhile Kankipadu Assembly Constituency Devineni Rajasekhar, known more popularly as Nehru, to hold party workers’ general body meetings.
Mr. Rajasekhar was defeated by 190 votes by Praja Rajyam candidate Yelamanchili Ravi. Praja Rajyam Party, which faired poorly in the State, had since been merged into the Congress, making both Mr. Rajasekhar and Mr. Ravi aspirants for the Congress ticket to the Assembly constituency.
Though Vijayawada West MLA Vellampalli Srinivas, who was also elected as PRP candidate, attended the meeting, Mr. Ravi was conspicuous by his absence.
‘Not invited’
According to party grapevine, the Vijayawada East MLA was not invited to the meeting in the first place.
‘Trendsetter’
Minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasada Rao said Vijayawada East Assembly Constituency was a trendsetter, and the election results in the rest of the State and country often reflect the results in this constituency.
He lauded Mr. Rajasekhar and Vijayawada Parliamentary Constituency Youth Congress president Devineni Avinash for conducting a meeting to discuss ways of taking the party forward.
He said no party other than the Congress had the capacity to maintain peace and harmony in the country.
It was the only party that followed the ideology of B.R. Ambedkar and was working for the development of all sections of society, he said.
APCC secretary Kolanukonda Sivaji said Mr. Rajasekhar should take the responsibility of resolving various problems the people of city were facing.
MLA Malladi Vishnu, APCC coordinator Miryala Ratnakumari, and DCC president Naraharasetti Narasimha Rao spoke.
