Congress in a bind as regional parties play Andhra split card

“I have seen about three to four lakh people assembling for meetings, which were attended by Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi at Guntur on various occasions.  Now, the crowd has reduced to a few thousands, indicating that Congress is losing ground in Seemandhra,” Rao claims.  

Rao, who resigned from Congress in protest over the division of Andhra Pradesh, is contesting on a TDP ticket from Narasaraopet Lok Sabha constituency in Guntur district.  Union Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam, however, claims that Congress still retains its traditional vote bank.

“Though several leaders have quit the party over the bifurcation issue, voters are still with us. What is lacking now is the absence of second-rung leaders, who can mobilise these voters towards the polling booths,” he told PTI.  He also exudes confidence that weaker sections would choose Congress over other regional parties.

Six-time Congress MP Sai Prathap, who has been re-nominated from Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency, stated that people would re-elect him in light of his contributions.

Sai Prathap was one among the six MPs who was expelled from Congress for giving no-confidence notices against the UPA government in Parliament over the Telangana issue. He later re-joined Congress and was given a ticket to contest from Rajampet constituency.