YSV to be Congress candidate for Pulivendula?

The fact that hours after Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy rejecting his resignation, it was business as usual for Agriculture Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy is being seen as a very strong indication that he would be the Congress candidate for the Pulivendula by-elections.

With a stream of visitors from his constituency calling on him at his Chambers in the state Secretariat on Wednesday, and his subsequent refusal to entertain questions whether he would be joining the YSR Congress Party floated by his nephew and former MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy were seen as clear indications that he indeed bracing up to contest the by-polls.

Apart from this, the refusal by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to accept his resignation and insisting that Ysv continues to hold the Agriculture portfolio too are strong pointers that he is going to make a bid to wrest the Pulivendula seat.

Earlier, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy had made it clear that he has not accepted the resignation letter given by Agriculture Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy who was at the centre stage the other day for attacking a TDP MLA on the Floor of the House.

The Kadapa leader will continue in his office as Cabinet Minister despite end of his MLC term on March 29. This has been cleared by Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy.

The Minister had handed over his resignation letter to the Chief Minister at his Camp Office. Ysv has six months time to seek re-entry into the Legislative Council or contest the coming by-election from Pulivendula.

The Minister then returned to his chambers in the Secretariat where a stream of visitors from his constituency called on him. He was seen giving a hearing to their problems and was replying to them as usual. His Chambers were full with officials and non-officials including his constituency leaders.

He told media persons at a subsequently that he had resigned as Minister following the end of his term as MLC. “It is now the discretion of the Chief Minister (to accept it or not),” he said.

When asked whether he would join the Ysr Congress Party, Ysv declined to comment but he gave a negative indication to that effect. He said that there was no necessity to continue as Minister when he was planning to enter the election fray which meant that he was a Congress candidate for the Pulivendula by-election.

The said by-election has assumed much importance as YSR’s family was concentrating to retain the MLA seat which was previously held by YSR’s widow MS Vijayalakshmi.

Now the YSR’s family members are firm on fielding Ys Jaganmohan Reddy for Pulivendula seat.

The by-election also assumed significance mainly because the rebel Kadapa leader Jaganmohan Reddy had defied the Congress high command and deserted the party to float one of his own.

It is not secret that for quite some time, the ruling party had been planning to field the Minister (YSR’s brother). The clear indications would be to nip the political career and the ambitions of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy in the bud by winning the ensuing by-elections in Pulivendula constituency and wrest the Lok Sabha seat held by him.

However, with the elections yet to be notified, neither group is willing to display its cards before the public.