Many experts are firm that YSR Congress party will sweep the next Andhra Pradesh elections; however, it seems highly unlikely that its chief Jaganmohan Reddy will disentangle himself from the legal mess he finds himself in anytime soon. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Even if the BJP gets 60, 70, or even 100 per cent of the votes in the seats where it scored more than 50 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, these will still add up to only 224 seats, argues Shekhar Gupta.
To thwart a revolt among Congress Members of Parliament from Telangana ahead of voting on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment in retail, the government has convened a meeting of political parties from Andhra Pradesh on December 28. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said that he has given an assurance to MPs from Telangana region who met him earlier in the day.
Congress Member of Parliament Jaganmohan Reddy's open rebellion against his party has worsened the factional politics in Andhra Pradesh. Some political experts believe that the crack in the Congress' ranks may lead to mid-term polls, while others think that the party's top brass will issue a show-cause notice to Jagan, asking him to explain his actions.Veerappa Moily, Congress leader in charge of Andhra Pradesh, is scheduled to visit the state on Friday.
Union Minister of State for Mines T Subbarami Reddy, Advisor on Public Affairs Dr K V P Ramachandra Rao and Telugu Desam Party founder N T Rama Rao's son Nandamuri Harikrishna are among the six candidates who filed their nominations on Saturday for Rajya Sabha biennial elections from Andhra Pradesh slated for March 26.
In this interview with Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Rao says that he has decided to join the TRS, but would wait until Thursday night before taking a final decision.
With the YSR Congress delivering a crushing blow to the Congress in the Andhra Pradesh by-polls, the latter will have to do some quick re-thinking to prevent itself from being booted out of the state, says Mohammed Siddique
Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, while supporting the decision of the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh demanded that the Central government should come out with immediate plans to build a new capital for Andhra Pradesh by earmarking Rs 10 lakh crore for the purpose.
The Congress seems to have learned nothing from its defeats. At a time when its supporters worry that the idea of India is under attack, the party is still preoccupied with its own battles, notes Vir Sanghvi.
The Chandrababu Naidu government on Thursday formally announced in the state assembly that Andhra Pradesh's new capital will be built "in and around Vijayawada". Rediff.com was the first to report the story (below) on May 18.
Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation to appear before it in Hyderabad in connection with the alleged disproportionate assets case involving YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, on June 7.
Union Minister of State for Commerce Daggubati Purandeswari on Saturday indicated that Congress ministers and Members of Parliament from Seemandhra would vote against the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill-2013 in Parliament if the Centre did not concede to their demands over protecting the interests of people of their region.
The son of Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, and his driver have been arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a 20-year-old teacher.
A strong view is now emerging -- at the top levels of the All India Congress Committee and the United Progressive Alliance government -- over the recent spat between state Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy on the Gas pricing issue.
'Some false information was carried to Delhi, these negative bits seemed to have played heavily.' Union Textiles Minister KS on why he opposes the Telangana decision.
Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to be elected to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh in the by-election slated for July 3.
Amid high drama, Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu was on Friday forcibly evicted from Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi by the police and taken to a hospital on the fifth day of his indefinite fast against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
With Kiran Kumar Reddy adamant that he will step down as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh after the announcement on Telangana is made, the Congress is exploring the option of bringing Konijeti Rosaiah, the former CM back to the state to head the government. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Cine actress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP M Vijaya Shanthi on Thursday joined Congress at a time when the possibility of TRS merging with Congress seemed to have hit a roadblock.
While bifurcation is a painful issue for many, one must understand it is the way forward, Union Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam tells Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa.
Eighty-two Members of Andhra Pradesh assembly from Telangana region, belonging to five political parties, including ruling Congress and main Opposition Telugu Desam Party, on Thursday decided to resign in protest against the Centre putting the statehood issue on the backburner.
The elections will begin on April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
'It is mind-boggling that a party can be in rigor mortis even after numerous electoral defeats,' observes Ramesh Menon.
The Group of Ministers on Telangana will meet in the first week of February to decide on the Centre's next course of action after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy sought extension of the deadline for discussing and returning the statehood Bill.
BRS leader and former Telangana minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy claimed that Kavitha was taken to Delhi on a flight at 8.45 pm.
YSR Congress Party honorary president Y S Vijayalakshmi began her indefinite fast against the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh and accused TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu of having a tacit understanding with Congress on the separate statehood issue.
After weeks of bargaining, discussing and protesting, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Telugu Desam Party have come to an agreement on a seat sharing arrangement in Andhra Pradesh.
The ruling Congress suffered a setback in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as three Members of the Legislative Assembly from the coastal region quit the party in protest against the bifurcation of the state.
It is all out war between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.
Per capita income in the state has consistently been below the national average for at least 24 years. However, it has narrowed the gap with the all-India level in recent years.
Union Minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday termed as "most unfortunate and misguided" Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's decision to resign from Congress and the Lok Sabha but said it would have no effect on the party in Andhra Pradesh.
The 13 members include, sitting Congress MLA Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) and former legislator Vem Narendar Reddy.
Telugu superstar and Union minister Chiranjeveei, who merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress, is surely having problems with his brother Pawan Kalyan, another popular film star. The latter, who never agreed with his elder brother's decision to join Congress, has now decided to float a new party to make certain electoral gains in the politically sensitive Seema-Andhra region. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Telugu superstar and Union minister Chiranjeveei, who merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress, is surely having problems with his brother Pawan Kalyan, another popular film star. The latter, who never agreed with his elder brother's decision to join Congress, has now decided to float a new party to make certain electoral gains in the politically sensitive Seema-Andhra region. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Though the TDP does not have enough numbers to pull down the Congress Government, its objective in moving the no-trust motion appears to be part of its strategy to regain the lost ground, particularly in the wake of the Telangana statehood struggle, and also "expose" YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, political observers feel.
Even as the Central government was making serious and determined efforts to put an end to the crisis in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue, mudslinging was continuing in the ruling Congress party.
In an embarrassment for the Congress, a party MP from Andhra Pradesh loyal to YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday resigned from the Lok Sabha.
Apart from Kerala, in no state did the Grand Old Party scored in double digits.
In a last ditch effort, Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday appealed to Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to "use his good office" to keep Andhra Pradesh united till an amicable solution is reached on the issue of creation of separate Telangana.
