The Andhra Pradesh Congress Legislature Party (CLP) unanimously adopted a resolution here on Friday authorising AICC president Sonia Gandhi to “select” its leader.
The resolution was proposed by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, MP and son of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was an aspirant for the post of Chief Minister. The meeting was held under the supervision of two central observors — Pranab Mukherjee and M. Veerappa Moily.
Mr. Mukherjee later announced that the resolution was supported by 150 MLAs, 49 MLCs and 29 MPs of the party by raising their hands. This development belied earlier expectations that the CLP would unanimously elect Chief Minister K. Rosaiah as its leader after his name was proposed by Mr. Jagan.
The senior Congress leader said the CLP meeting, the first after the death of YSR, adopted a resolution condoling the `untimely and sad demise' of former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and appreciating his contribution in building the State. A separate resolution was passed expressing the CLP's heartfelt condolences to the two pilots, his Chief Security Officer and Principal secretary who were killed in the helicopter crash along with YSR on September 2 this year.
A third resolution was passed mourning the death of people in the unprecedented floods in the Krishna in the first week of October this year.
Mr. Mukherjee was flanked by Mr. Rosaiah and Mr. Jagan when he addressed the waiting media in the Assembly premises immediately after the CLP meeting. It is understood that the Congress leader later briefed Ms. Sonia Gandhi on telephone about the developments in the CLP.
