Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president N. Raghuveera Reddy and party’s campaign committee chairman K. Chiranjeevi have been asked by party chief Sonia Gandhi to attend a review meeting in New Delhi on June 2.
Sources said the two leaders would meet Ms. Gandhi as well as party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to review the party’s performance in the general elections in Seemandhra region. “Mr. Reddy and Mr. Chiranjeevi have been asked to come to Delhi on June 2 to review the election results and chart out the future course of action in Andhra Pradesh to revive the party’s fortunes,” sources close to the APCC chief told The Hindu on Thursday.
Congress candidates forfeited deposits in over 160 Assembly constituencies and all 25 Lok Sabha seats. In its worst poll performance, the Congress was relegated to third place in several Assembly and parliamentary constituencies.
The party faltered at almost every stage and was unable to put in place a proper election campaign with seniors shying away from electioneering and in some cases, even refusing to contest the polls. The selection of newcomers as party candidates with little support base and lack of financial resources is also said to be one of the reasons for the party’s miserable performance.
The APCC chief had claimed that voters in Seemandhra strongly blamed the Congress for the division of the State. The split in the party with former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launching his own party and a major section of partymen defecting to the YSR Congress left the Congress rudderless in many constituencies. The strong anti-establishment mood among voters also added to the plight of the party, sources said.
