VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president N Raghuveera Reddy has predicted that there will be no clear majority for any party in the Assembly elections in the State in 2019.
Participating in a ‘Meet-the-Press’ programme organised by a journalist union at Press Club here on Friday, Raghuveera Reddy opined that no party would get absolute majority for formation of government, indicating a hung Assembly.
He asserted that the Congress was the only alternative for development of the State and clarified that there was no political intention behind the meeting between Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy.
Reddy said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) emerged against the Congress and the opinion of party workers was being elicited on rumours of an alliance with TDP in the State.
He made it clear that the Special Category Status, if not granted by BJP, would become the Congress party’s election manifesto. ‘’The recent elections in Karnataka have given a clear indication of the downfall of BJP,’’ the PCC chief said.
Raghuveera took a dig at Opposition Leader and YSR Congress (YSRC) chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy for remaining silent on the raw deal meted out to the State by the BJP-led NDA government.
“The Opposition leader, who took to streets without fighting for the cause of the people on the floor of the Assembly, has never commented against the Centre, which clearly indicated the tacit understanding between the BJP and YSRC,” he added.
The PCC chief also wondered how Naidu appointed the wife of a BJP leader as TTD Trust Board member after claiming that TDP had snapped ties with the saffron party.
Raghuveera Reddy ruled out the reported rumours in social media about his quitting the Congress
and said he would never quit the party.