Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday said that the by-elections in the Telangana region would not be a referendum on the state government's performance.
Talking to reporters at his camp office, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that although the government would campaign for the by-elections on the basis of its performance and welfare schemes, the polls would not be a referendum on its performance.
He claimed, however, that the results would certainly reflect what people think about his government.
He said that the Congress party would announce the list of candidates for the by-elections in the Telangana region at an appropriate time.
Replying to a query on whether he would be retained as Chief Minister if the Congress comes to power in the 2014 elections, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the decision would be taken by the Congress High Command.
He also clarified that the Praja Rajyam Party's merger with the Congress party was complete, and that the PRP MLAs would soon be inducted into the Cabinet in consultation with Chiranjeevi and the Congress' High Command.
The Chief Minster said that the government plans to launch a new scheme to provide health security to all citizens in the state.
However, he said, the proposal was still at a nascent stage. He said that steps are being taken to increase the number of doctors in rural areas, and that about 400 doctors would be recruited on a contract basis soon.
Regarding the hike in the electricity tariff, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the decision would be taken based on the recommendations of the Electricity Regulatory Commission.
He also claimed that the relaxation of the age bar by 2 years for all government jobs would help thousands of aspirants in the state. He said that this relaxation would be applicable for all departments except for the uniformed services. (INN)