Cong deputes Pranab Mukherjee to solve YSR successor issue

Hyderabad, Sept 7 :

 The Congress High Command has deputed Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to solve the successor issue in Andhra Pradesh after the demise of chief minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, in a chopper crash on last Wednesday.

The High Command after held consultations with some senior leaders in New Delhi on Monday, it deputed Pranab Mukherjee to find a successor to late chief minister YSR.

He will visit Hyderabad on Sept 10 to hold talks with various sections within the party. It is after his visit that the party may decide to convene a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) to elect its new leader.

The central leadership of the Congress has launched the process of finding a successor to late Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy,

Though the high command had refused to discuss the issue of leadership till the seven-day mourning period is over Wednesday, Sunday’s developments forced it to start the process of addressing the issue on priority. On Sunday, some ministers were reluctant to take oath to mount pressure on the party to name Jagan as the chief minister.

Jagan, 37, a first time MP, appears to be the front runner for the chief minister’s post. Acting Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, state Congress president D. Srinivas and union minister Jaipal Reddy are the other likely contenders for the post.