Kiran Kumar Reddy To Return To Congress In AP?

Andhra Pradesh Congress Affairs in-charge Omen Chandy said that the party was inviting former Congress leaders who were in various other political parties now to rejoin it.

As part of that, he had gone to the residence of former (united) AP Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy in Hyderabad on Sunday and conferred with him for half-an-hour, he said.

Speaking to the media, Chandy said that Kiran Kumar Reddy had told him that he would decide whether to rejoin the Congress or not.

Reddy was a Congress family member, and the party would be more than happy to have him back, Chandy added.

The party's condition was not good in Andhra Pradesh and there was a dire need to strengthen the party, Chandy said.

Earlier, Chandy had met with all the available Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders and discussed the Kiran Kumar Reddy issue, and the steps that needed to be taken to rope in all former Congress leaders in Andhra Pradesh to strengthen the party.

Party senior leaders Pallam Raju and T Subbirami Reddy had also invited Kiran Kumar Reddy to join the Congress a week ago. It is learnt that Reddy's rejoining has been finalized, and he may join the party on July 3 or 4 in the presence of AICC chief Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

After the bifurcation of united Ap was finalized, Reddy left the Congress and started a party called the Jai Samaikhyandhra Party, which was a non-starter with a pretty much irrelevant agenda. Ever since then, he has stayed out of the public eye.