Naidu predicts hung Assembly in AP after next elections

Hyderabad, Jun 9 (UNI) The results in the recent byelections to 18 Assembly and four Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh showed that a ''hung Assembly'' was likely after the next State Assembly polls, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu opined today.

Addressing a press conference here after a party office-bearers meeting to analyse the bypoll results, he said that while the Congress had not been ''totally weakened'', the main opposition TDP had not emerged as a clear alternative to the Congress.

Formation of new parties, including the one speculated to be led by matinee idol Chiranjeevi, would be a loss for both the ruling Congress and the opposition TDP, he said.

The BJP, as part of its political strategy, contested only one seat and by coming close to winning in the Musheerabad Assembly byelection, pushing the TRS to the third position and TDP-supported CPI(M) to fourth postition, had proved that its base was still intact, raising hopes for improving its performance in the next Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, he added.

People had only rejected the TRS, which forced unnecessary byelections on the people and the verdict could not be construed as rejection of the Telangana sentiment as such, Mr Naidu opined.

Only a national party like the BJP, which had ensured creation of three new states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal, could realise statehood for Telangana, he claimed.

Though the BJP had raised 'one vote two states' slogan earlier, it had not been provided the required majority to fulfil its promise, he argued, justifying the party's failure to create Telangana state when the NDA was in power.

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