Reddy loyalists pitch for his son as successor

Reddy loyalists pitch for his son as successor
V V BalakrishnaFirst Published : 04 Sep 2009 12:46:00 AM ISTLast Updated :
HYDERABAD: Even before the tragic news of the death of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had sunk in, hectic parleys began in the Congress on who should succeed him.
Though Finance Minister K Rosaiah, the senior most in the Cabinet, was sworn in on Thursday evening as the caretaker chief minister, Rosaiah made it clear that this arrangement was ‘‘interim in nature’’ and he would hold the responsibility only till the Congress high command picked Reddy’s successor.
As if to block the chances of anyone else being considered, a significant number of Congress legislators, including some ministers, issued public statements stating that Rajasekhara Reddy’s son, Jaganmohan Reddy, should be the natural choice for the post. ‘‘The party needs a young leader to take it forward at this critical juncture. Jagan is the right choice,’’ Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy declared.
Jaganmohan was elected to the Parliament from Kadapa for the first time this year. However, his candidature may not be automatically accepted by a section of the Congress legislators who do not sail with him for a variety of reasons.
The other possible contender for the CM’s post could be Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy. The Congress has just about enough majority in the Assembly — 156 as against the required minimum strength of 147.