Hyderabad, March 24: The Congress leaders are licking their wounds inflicted in the electoral battle for MLCs in eight districts by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and former minister J C Diwakar Reddy.
The Congress won Srikakulam, Nellore and Kurnool seats but lost in the remaining six. Of them TDP and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed three each, dashing hopes of the Congress on retaining the same number as that of the MLCs retiring now who are five in number.
Of the 10 MLCs seats, the Congress allotted one seat to MIM, its political ally, whose candidate Jafri was elected unopposed.
In the nine seats that were left, Jagan rocked the Congress boat in East Godavari, West Godavari, Chittoor and Kadapa while JC Diwakar Reddy ensured its defeat in Anantapur.
Though the Congress gave a tough fight in Chittoor, N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s district, it lost the election despite the Herculean effort to lure voters from the Telugu Desam camp and prevent its own men from migrating to Jagan camp, it had to lose out in the end.
Kiran Kumar Reddy had managed to turn MLAs who had moved closer to Jagan to his side and yet lost because former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy who is his arch rival, wanted more to see Congress nominee lose in the election than Jagan’s candidate win in the battle.
Sources said no effort was spared in luring the voters from the TDP camp and finally Ramachandra Reddy proved he was a little better than Kiran Kumar Reddy in the game of politics.
In Kadapa, the home turf of Jagan, the Congress wanted to win the seat, come what may. It had deployed four state and one Central minister, organised camps and persuaded and succeeded in getting the support of TDP and yet lost the election to Jagan by a margin of 10 votes. Kiran Kumar Reddy later consoled himself that the election in Kadapa had proved that the Congress’ strength has improved, indirectly admitting that Jagan is the man in Kadapa.
The Congress would have lost Nellore but for ex- chief minister N Janardhan Reddy who used his political craftsmanship in ensuring the Congress nominee’s victory. For both Jagan group and the Congress, the target was TDP voters and to a great extent they had succeeded.
MLA N Prasanna Kumar Reddy, who fell out with Chandrababu Naidu and joined the Jagan’s camp ensured defection many TDP voters. Janardhan Reddy, who has good rapport with a TDP legislator in the district, managed to get some of the TDP votes for the Congress.
-Agencies