The Congress party and Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh has decided to go alone in the ensuing simultaneous elections to the State Assembly and Lok Sabha 2019 Polls. Oommen Chandy, the Congress party’s central leader in-charge of party affairs in Andhra, said that the Congress had decided to contest all 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats on their own.
Oommen Chandy, the former Chief Minister of Kerela, said that party has also decided to form all committees including election committee as per AICC directions. He also announced that a meeting of all party conveners of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies will meet on January 31 to discuss and finalise everything related to elections.
When asked if the party would find candidates to contest the elections, Chandy claimed that many people were ready to contest.
“I cannot say. People will decide,” he said when asked as to how many seats Congress would win.
Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls, and State Polls could not open its tally, However, Chandy said, the situation had now changed and people of Andhra Pradesh have full faith in Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s promise to give special category status to the State.
Raghuveera Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Congress President: In Andhra Pradesh, there will be no alliance with any party for the forthcoming elections. Congress party will contest on all 175 assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha seats alone, reported by ANI.
Raghuveera Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Congress President: In Andhra Pradesh, there will be no alliance with any party for the forthcoming elections. Congress party will contest on all 175 assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha seats alone. (23.01.19) pic.twitter.com/PAYtw7t8kD
— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2019
The decision would mean that there will be no Grand Alliance of Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh. It means the alliance of Indian National Congress with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has come to an end just after one election. Both – Indian National Congress and Telugu Desam Party have entered into an alliance in recently concluded Telangana Assembly Polls. However, neither party benefitted from alliance and TRS registered a landslide victory in the state. Reports further claimed that the alliance may end in Telangana.
Earlier this month, TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to Delhi met Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Sources claimed that they discussed the alliance in the Lok Sabha and AP Assembly elections which will be held simultaneously. Polls in Andhra, Arunachal, Sikkim, Odisha likely to be clubbed with Lok Sabha’19
Reportedly, Chandrababu Naidu reportedly told Rahul Gandhi that the TDP would support the Congress in national politics but would have no truck with it in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul, Kejriwal, and others to push Grand Alliance for LS polls 2019
While the Telangana Congress leaders are of the view that their party did not do well in the recent Telangana state Assembly elections because of the alliance with the TDP as the electorate could not accept an alliance between parties that had been rivals for 35 years. Both the leaders reportedly agreed not to have an alliance in Andhra Pradesh even though they will jointly fight Narendra Modi at the Central Level.