Political circles in Andhra Pradesh are once again abuzz with speculation that chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will float a political outfit of his own in the event of his failure to stop bifurcation of the state.
What was a part of private conversation till recently has now become more or less public with Kiran Reddy himself throwing hints of it before ministers, Congress MPs and MLAs from Seemandhra, who are calling on him.
“Our priority as of now is to evolve plans to defeat the T-bill when it is referred to the Assembly and use it as reason to stall division of the state. If we don’t succeed for some reason or the other, we will go out of the Congress and form another party,” was the argument that the chief minister has been making before his peers.
In fact, Kamalapuram MLA G Veerasiva Reddy, who is nowadays moving closely with the chief minister, has been time and again saying that Kiran Reddy would soon float his own political party if he fails to stall the T-process. Even Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao is also speaking on the same lines and even going to the extent of setting a timeframe for the launch of the new party.
However, what is still unclear is how many Congress men would prefer to sail with the new political outfit, if and when it is formed.
While a good number of them seem to prefer either the TDP or the YSRC, depending on the equations in their respective Assembly segments, there is also a section which still wants to remain with the Congress, knowing fully well that the ruling party is going to be routed in Seemandhra.
An interesting aspect of this is that Kiran is being reportedly encouraged by influential people belonging to a powerful community that he does not belong to.
The interest for this community is that the launch of a new party by Kiran Reddy would cut into the vote bank of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and thereby indirectly help the TDP gain power in the ensuing general polls.
Sources said Kiran Reddy is now banking on the support of APNGOs to float the new party to cash in on the Seemandhra movement.
It is learnt that the chief minister and his close aides are of the opinion that the majority of people in Seemandhra back the APNGOs as they have been almost waging a war with the Congress high command over its T-decision. Hence, Kiran Reddy’s camp is said to be keeping its hopes on the support of APNGOs.
As per sources, the recent survey commissioned by his camp over the electoral fortunes of the Congress in Seemandhra is prompting the chief minister to float a new political outfit.
“The survey revealed that people of Seemandhra are very much enraged by the Congress party’s T-decision. The survey also divulged that people have lost faith in all political parties in the region. Hence, there is scope for a new party,” a senior MLA disclosed to Express.
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