The campaign launched by endowments minister C Ramachandraiah and some other Kapu leaders in the Congress to persuade their high command to rely on the BC-Kapu plank to win the 2014 polls, appears to have benefited PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana.
The Congress high command is understood to have decided to continue Botcha as state Congress boss as he is from the Thurpu Kapu community, which is a sub-caste of Kapus and predominant in North Andhra region. It comes under BC category. According to insiders in the Congress, the AICC leadership which earlier almost decided to replace Botcha with a suitable leader from Telangana has for now put its decision on hold.
Though chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is reportedly averse to continuing Botcha in the PCC chief’s post, his party high command is learnt to have decided not to take any hasty decision in the matter.
“Since Botcha is from Thurpu Kapu community, which falls under BC category, our party high command has decided to continue him in the PCC chief’s post for now even though his performance as PCC president is not satisfactory,” a senior Congress leaders, who undertook a Delhi tour recently, said.
Botcha, soon after returning from Delhi, started filling vacant posts in PCC state executive. On Saturday, he held a meeting with several party leaders at Gandhi Bhavan here in this connection.
Botcha looked very jubilant when he chatted with scribes at the state Congress headquarters. Though media predicted his ouster from the PCC chief’s post, he was able to continue with the blessings of his party high command, he said.
After getting a new lease of life, Botcha has started preparations for a broad-based meeting of the PCC, slated for May 22 at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy indoor stadium at Yousufguda here, to gear up the cadres for the ensuing local body and general elections.
“The meeting would chalk out an action plan to put Congress on the winning path in the ensuing polls. We will also formulate a strategy to publicise the welfare schemes of the government to win the hearts of people in the run-up to 2014 polls,” Botcha said.