Pit KVP Against Jagan: Vishnuvardhan

Expressing confidence that former government advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao would be able to effectively counter the popularity of former MP and YSR Congress Party leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Jubilee Hills MLA P Vishnuvardhan Reddy on Wednesday appealed to the High Command (HC) to field KVP as the Congress candidate for the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency by-elections.

Talking to mediapersons at his residence in Jubilee Hills, Vishnuvardhan Reddy said that he had written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, urging her to choose KVP as the Congress candidate to take on Jagan Reddy.

He said that KVP is familiar with the terrain and the people of Kadapa, and that he (KVP) would be an ideal choice for the Congress.

The by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and the Pulivendula Assembly constituency, necessitated after Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother Y S Vijayalakshmi Reddy resigned from the 2 seats respectively, are scheduled to be held on May 8th.

In his letter to the HC, he also stated that most cabinet ministers are either the 'internal' supporters of Jaganmohan Reddy, or are political migrants, mainly from Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

"These legislators had indulged in cross-voting in the recently-concluded elections for the Legislative Council," he stated in the letter.

Vishnuvardhan Reddy pointed out that despite having a majority of the votes, the Congress party had lost Kadapa, Chittoor, East Godavari and West Godavari Council seats. The Congress had managed to scrape through with a wafer-thin majority, he pointed out.

The letter also stated that former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's rule saw innumerable irregularities being reported, but that they were hidden under the carpet by the welfare measures taken up by him. However, these irregularities are coming to the surface now, the letter added. (INN)