Cong announces seat sharing as campaign kicks off

Hyderabad, June 23 (UNI) The ruling Congress announced allocation of seats to its allies the TRS and CPI even as hectic campaigning by contesting parties got underway for the two-phased Panchayat polls on June 28 and July two with the Andhra Pradesh High Court clearing the decks.

Conceding an additional four seats to the CPI, Congress, allocated 34 ZPTC seats to the Left party, and 68 to the TRS, an UPA constituent, retaining for itself a lion's share of 995 of the 1097 ZPTC seats.

The CPI would contest on its own on 28 ZPTC seats in seven districts where no no understanding could be reached with the Congress, its State Secretary K Narayana told UNI.

The TRS would come out with its list of contesting candidates tomorrow, senior TRS leader Madhusudanachari said, giving an indication that the party might go for ''friendly contests'' for some seats.

The Congress, which has bagged uncontested 418 out of 532 MPTC seats and 10 ZPTC seats, began its campaign from Chevala, with which it was also sentimentally attached launching various campaigns, including the one to oust the TDP from power.

Performing pooja at the famous ''Chilkur Balaji temple'', Pradesh Congress President K Keshava Rao kicked off the party campaign highlighting the ''achievements'' of the Congress Government in the last two years and listing out a host of welfare schemes including the ''INDIRAMMA'' scheme to saturate the basic needs of one-third of the villages in the state every year in three years.

Meanwhile, the BJP, contesting on its own on 338 ZPTC seats and 2013 MPTC seats, announced that its State Chief N Indrasena Reddy would kick off the party's campaign from Nagaram in Rangareddy district tomorrow.

Accompanied by former TDP Minister T Srinivasa Yadav, Former Andole Legislator Babu Mohan, contesting the Medak ZPTC seat also canvassed for votes.

Setting the tone for the ruling party's campaign, Chief Minister etc etc... (EDS: pick up suitably from MS 51).

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