AP Minister resigns to contest bypoll

Hyderabad, May 1 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Roads and Buildings Minister T Jeevan Reddy today resigned as he is contesting from the Karimnagar Lok Sabha Constituency in the by-elections to be held on May 29.

The Minister met Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy this morning and submitted his resignation letter.

Talking to newspersons later, he expressed happiness over the party high command's decision to field him from the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat.

He said he decided to resign from his post before filing nomination papers as he did not want to give any chance to the opposition to say that he would ''misuse'' his ministeral post for gaining advantage in the election.

Mr Reddy said the byelection had no relation with the Telangana sentiment. He alleged that Telangana Rastra Samithi President K Chandrasekhara Rao was a political opportunist who was raising the issue under the garb of sentiment.

He blamed Mr Rao for not doing anything for the Karimnagar constituency in the last four years though he was a Union Minister in the UPA Government for some time.

He claimed the Congress would win a majority in the by-elections for the four Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly constituencies and the people would teach a lesson to the TRS President this time.

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