The Congress party’s pitiable condition is clearly visible with leaders admitting that it may give only a semblance of fight in less than a dozen Assembly constituencies in Seemandhra.
Party leaders after their lacklustre election campaign in 13 Seemandhra districts have come to a firm conclusion that it has lost the race even before the polling that begins on Wednesday morning.
“Our assessment after the electioneering and feedback from the district-level leaders is that Congress may give a decent fight in close to two dozen constituencies. In districts like Kadapa and West Godavari, party candidates are nowhere in the race,” sources close to APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy told The Hindu on Tuesday.
Party leaders point out that the trend among the electorate seems to be heavily loaded against the Congress, which is seen as a villain in the bifurcation process. In several constituencies, the party would be relegated to the third position and in some cases, it may forfeit the deposit, a Congress leader remarked.
They said that whatever little chance the party has depends on the personal image and influence of the seniors in the respective district and constituencies. They are only looking at face saving performance in the Assembly constituencies and have given up hope on the Lok Sabha seats. “We are completely out of race in the LS constituencies. If we win a couple of seats, it will be a miracle,” a former MLA, who is seeking re-election, remarked.
APCC sources said former PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana is using all his resources to retain Cheepurpalli seat while the party nominees in Gajapathinagaram and Vizianagaram town are locked in a close fight with the TDP and YSR Congress rivals.
In Srikakulam, the party is hopeful that former Minister Kondru Murali Mohan would put up a decent fight in Rajam constituency. In the same district, Congress is hoping for a good performance in Icchapuram and Amadalavalasa segments. In Visakhapatnam, former Minister P. Balaraju is said to be giving a tough fight to the rivals while former government whip Dronamraju Srinivas is likely to give a fight.
Party sources said Mr. Raghuveera Reddy, who shifted to Penukonda from Kalyandurg, is hopeful of coming up trumps against his TDP and YSR Congress opponents. In Nellore, Anam family is putting up a brave face despite strong anti-Congress mood. In Venkatgiri constituency, former Chief Minister N. Janardhan Reddy’s son N. Rammohan Reddy is said to have built a rapport with the electorate but still has to work overtime to win polls.
Other constituencies where the Congress is confident of giving a fight are: Kothapet, Rampachodavaram (East Godavari), Nuzvid, Vijayawada Central (Krishna), Guntur East, West and Tenali (Guntur), Kanigiri (Prakasam), Venkatgiri, Nellore City and Atmakur (Nellore), Madanapalli (Chittoor), Alur and Pattikonda (Kurnool).
