Andhra Pradesh: Ruling Congress may lose leaders to rivals

HYDERABAD: An exodus from the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh may be in the offing on the back of division over creation of Telangana.

One after the other, elected representatives of the party from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts are likely to exit the Congress, protesting the proposed bifurcation of the state.

Nandyal MP S P Y Reddy was the first to quit the Congress and join the YSR Congress. He also resigned from his Lok Sabha membership but the resignation is pending disposal.

Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, who announced a few days ago that he was quitting the Congress in protest against the state bifurcation move, met Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu at his fast camp in New Delhi today, triggering talk that he may join the main opposition party.

"I will take a decision (on joining any party) at the appropriate time," Rayapati told newsmen but parried a question on reports of his joining the TDP.

The Guntur district leaders of TDP, however, said they were ready to welcome the senior MP into their fold. "Rayapati has been close to us for long," they said.

However, there is no clarity yet on what course will Rayapati take as there has been speculation that he may join the Bharatiya Janata Party after he started openly praising its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

At one point, Rayapati also talked about emergence of a new political party in Seemaandhra region to cash-in on the people's sentiment for a united state and growing anger against the Congress. Other senior leaders Congress leaders like Gade Venkat Reddy also averred to such possibility, nothing seem to be happening on that front.

J C Diwakar Reddy, one of the senior-most MLAs and a former MLA, is another vociferous critic of the Congress who went to the extent of saying the party is sure to be wiped out in Seemaandhra.