Realising that there was no possibility of being re-elected on a Congress ticket, Rao has now decided to hitch his wagon to the Bhartiya Janata Party. In an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Anita Katyal Union Textiles Minister K S Rao explains the reason for leaving the Congress, his assessment of Rahul Gandhi's leadership and his future plans.
A festive spirit pervaded the Andhra Pradesh Bhawan premises in New Delhi no sooner the Congress Working Committee formally endorsed the creation of Telangana.
The Communist Party of India announced alliance with main opposition Telugu Desam Party for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh scheduled to be held early next year saying the main objective of such a tie-up is to defeat ruling Congress.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday dismissed the regular bail petition of YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case involving him. The AP high court had on December 24 dismissed the statutory bail plea of Jagan.
Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna, the two major rivals in the Telugu film industry and now rival election campaigners, have declared their intention to contest the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.
Assessment by security forces suggests the Naxals had reached Sukma in small batches from different states to carry out the attack, reports Gyan Varma
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's efforts to placate the Congress MLAs from Telangana to give up their agitation, as the Centre would make an announcement on the issue in the first week of March, failed to yield any positive result.
In a follow up to the orders of the Andhra Pradesh high court, the Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a First Investigation Report for criminal investigations into the wealth of YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
The raids, taking place mainly in South India, was termed by the NIA as the 'largest ever' investigation process 'till date'.
Political parties of all hues, including the ruling Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday welcomed the Centre's decision to repeal a clause in a 1975 Presidential Order for the benefit of Telangana, while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and student groups said they would continue their campaign till the orders are issued officially.
A court in Andhra Pradesh on Monday directed the police to probe allegations brought against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in a complaint which says she "cheated" the people of Telangana on the statehood issue.
New Andha Pradesh Congress Committee president and state's transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana, whose appointment has created a stir in the party, has said that there was nothing wrong if Andhra Pradesh was divided into two to fulfil the demand of Telangana people for statehood.
Meanwhile, the AP CM said that the TDP is ready to bring no-trust motion against Centre as last resort.
Y S Vijaya Lakshmi, widow of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was on Thursday unanimously elected as the leader of YSR Congress Legislature Party.
The crisis in Andhra Pradesh's ruling Congress worsened on Thursday, when the party's central leadership issued a clear directive that no minister or legislator should join the yatra of defiant Kadappa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmaohan Reddy. Reddy and his followers have been preparing for the 11-day condolence tour of Prakasham district which is scheduled to start from September 3.The latest orders came directly from Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel.
Making a headstart, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother Y S Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday separately launched their campaigns for the May 8 by-elections for Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh.
Welcoming her into the party fold, Chiranjeevi said, "Her entry in to our party reflects the response and respect women of the state are giving to our party."
The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh has issued show-cause notices to four rebel members of legislative assembly who have openly been sailing with YSR Congress Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
The chargesheet said according to the 'budget sheet, 30 million were paid to Air Force officers.
With the deadline for the Centre's decision on the vexatious Telangana statehood issue approaching fast, the war of words between leaders of Telangana and Andhra-Rayalaseema regions has escalated.
Fifteen ministers from the Seema-Andhra regions, who have parked themselves in new Dehi, have said that they will submit their resignations to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy if an announcement to bifurcate the state is made.
In a major embarrassment to the Congress government at the centre, a court in Andhra Pradesh on Monday directed the state police to register a case against two UPA ministers for giving false assurances to the people of Telangana on the issue of its statehood.
The coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions continued to simmer on Friday with protests continuing unabated over the Congress' decision to divide Andhra Pradesh.
According to sources, senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy is a heading a major campaign to oust Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, as a section of the party feels that the chief minister is single-handedly thwarting the formation of Telangana.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has nominated senior journalist and former correspondent of rediff.com Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri as a candidate for the Andhra Pradesh legislative council from Hyderabad local authority constituency.
Controversy is not new to Andhra Pradesh Transport Minister and state Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana. Botsa, who has been in the eye of the storm on earlier occasions for alleged mafia activities, does not seem to shy away from courting controversies. Now, he is accused of abusing his official position for the wedding of his daughter Anusha, a medico, in his native Vizianagaram on Friday night
In a brazen show of competitive politics, Andhra Pradesh MPs belonging to Congress and Telugu Desam were Wednesday locked in a scuffle in public view at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun over ferrying pilgrims back to the state.
Claiming that the Andhra Pradesh government has been reduced to minority, the Jagan camp on Saturday dared Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and his cabinet colleagues to step down from their posts and seek a fresh mandate.
Sakshi TV, owned by YS Jaganmohan Reddy -- Congress member of Parliament from Kadapa -- is one of the three channels facing the criminal cases for telecast "unverified" reports on January 7, which provoked unprecedented violence across Andhra Pradesh in which mobs of Congress workers and YSR supporters targeted and destroyed the properties of Reliance Group.
Ransacking of the residences of a minister and a Congress MLA in Hyderabad, burning of effigies of other ministers, attempt to stop Chief Minister's convoy, noisy protest demonstration and boycott of celebrations marked the 55th anniversary of the formation of Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
In a major success for Telangana supporters, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to withdraw the cases booked against the agitators during the protests before the formation of the Srikrishna committee by the Centre.
"One was 'AP' and the other was 'Fam'. 'AP' stands for Ahmed Patel and 'Fam' stands for family. Have you heard of Ahmed Patel? Which family is he close to?" Modi asked the crowd at a rally in Dehradun.
Keeping in mind the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, President Pranab Mukherjee and the Centre have decided to extend by a week the deadline to discuss the Telangana bill.
YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy's arrest comes ahead of an extremely crucial by-poll in Andhra Pradesh, but the party is still confident of a win in the by-polls, and say that his mother would now lead them. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was on Monday vertically split over Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's bid to move a resolution to return the bifurcation bill, with Telangana ministers demanding that he quit as they no longer recognised him as leader of the house.
Indicating a major change in the political alignments in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling Congress and the regional Praja Rajyam Party of Telugu film star Chiranjeevi were mulling the idea of a tie-up for the coming elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
With the arrest of Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter, the heat is on for some officials in the Hyderabad police department.In a letter written to Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, the Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee has claimed that many officers in the Hyderabad police department had provided logistical support for the encounter.The letter says that the Hyderabad police had even halted traffic.
Andhra Pradesh is slowly heading to another major political crisis with opposition Telugu Desam Party threatening to move a no-confidence motion against the ruling Congress, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
The number of Congress MPs to resign to protest against the Centre's decision to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh has gone up to three, while 90 MLAs from Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Praja Rajyam have also resigned. Two TDP MPs have also submitted their resignation.
The Andhra Pradesh high court will give its verdict on Saturday on the Central Bureau of Investigation's petition seeking the custody of YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy. The court will also pass its judgement on a quash petition challenging Jagan's arrest on charges of corruption and other economic offences.
