Cong to announce candidates well before other parties

Rajamahendravaram: AP Congress Committee (PCC) president Gidugu Rudra Raju said the party has decided to make the Congress leaders and former public representatives who remained neutral or inactive after the division of Andhra Pradesh state active again in the party.

He said a special committee will be formed to hold discussions with such senior leaders. He landed at Rajahmundry airport to go to Kakinada to participate in the Congress Seva Dal Foundation Day. He received a warm welcome by party activists and leaders at the airport.

Talking to The Hans India on the occasion, Rudra Raju said that the Congress will take the 2024 elections seriously as the party machinery and leadership have been working with determination to regain past glory in AP in the wake of victories in Karnataka and Telangana.

Stating that surveys were conducted in various Assembly and Parliament constituencies in the state, he said it is proposed to constitute Pradesh Election Committee and announce the candidates well ahead of elections.

He said that many leaders from YSRCP and other parties are also in contact with them to join the Congress.

When asked about the prospects of Sharmila Reddy joining the party, he said that matter was also discussed at the high-level meeting in Delhi. “Congress runs on the basis of ideology. Those who have faith in Congress ideology will definitely be invited. It was late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's last wish to see Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister. The the Congress will invite Sharmila Reddy who is the daughter of a leader who had a great love and loyalty towards the party and will use her services. The party will discuss how to utilise her services and take a decision soon,” he said.

The PCC said they have told the AICC leadership that they welcome her as the state president. When asked whether there was any possibility of changing the PCC president and Andhra Pradesh in-charge in the wake of the elections, he said that no such thing was mentioned in the meeting. He reminded that AP in-charge has been appointed only recently. Rudra Raju said that top leaders of the Congress Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and others will address public meetings in Andhra Pradesh as star campaigners for the elections.

He criticised the TDP and YSRCP, which came to power in two elections after the division of Andhra Pradesh, for not doing any good to the state. He accused the two parties of neglecting the interests of the state. The two parties cheated the people of AP by maintaining ties with the ruling BJP at the Centre. As a result, the development of the state has stopped in the last 10 years and the state is lagging in all fields, he alleged.

He said that he had participated in the high-level preparatory meeting held in Delhi recently to prepare the party for the general elections. Senior Congress leaders, CWC members, former ministers and members of parliament participated in the meeting, he said. The meeting was held for two-and-a-half hours. AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AP affairs in-charge Manickam Tagore and K C Venu Gopal participated in this and discussed the strategy to be adopted by the Congress during the elections and strengthening of organisation.

He explained that Rahul Gandhi was confident that the Congress would come to power in the 2024 elections at the Centre.