The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President N Raghuveera Reddy, who has completed his three-year term is said to be confident to continue in office for one more year. Though there are several claimants for this position in the party, by continuously organising agitational programmes against state and central governments, he seems to be in good looks of the AICC leadership.
Even though the party has no representation in the state assembly and the party is believed to be losing its ground and several senior leaders migrated to other parties, he succeeded in keeping the `flame of Congress’ intact continuously mobilising party cader for one or other issue.
The credit goes to him in depicting the Narendra Modi government as a `villain’ in the eyes of the people on the issue of according special status to the state. His campaign of 1 crore signatures asking the Centre to abide by its promise in the Parliament has forced other opposition parties like YSRCP and Left also to follow the suit.
After taking up agitations for over two years, he is now focusing on bringing together all opposition parties against Chandrababu Naidu’s government. Particularly on the issue of demonetization, he has personally written letters to the leaders of YSRCP and Left suggesting for united action. Even he openly invited Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan to join them in this regard.
The former minister strategically attempting to convince the opposition parties that united struggles helps to consider poll alliances by the time of 2019 polls. To begin with, he is proposing some understanding among opposition parties to put single candidate against TDP candidates in the forthcoming polls to 11 municipal corporations’ in the state. He is hopeful this would provide a `respectable space’ for the party in the state politics.
Though the AICC need to nominate a new state president soon, as the term of AICC President Sonia Gandhi was extended for one year and vice president Rahul Gandhi showing disinterest to take up mantle of the party, Congress sources indicating it is unlikely to replace Reddy at this stage.
