Congress learns from Telangana debacle, to fight solo in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, Jan 24: Congress has ruled out alliance with TDP and decided to fight the upcoming elections in Andhra Pradesh, both to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha, on its own and not have any alliance with the ruling Telugu Desam Party.

Andhra Pradesh has 175 assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats.

"We will contest all 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats alone. The TDP allied with us only at the national level, so we will have no truck (with it) in the state," AICC general secretary and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy maintained.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the PCC office-bearers here, Chandy said they would meet again on January 31 to discuss about the poll preparations. The state Congress decided to undertake a bus yatra in all 13 districts in February, he said.

Chandy welcomed the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as AICC general secretary, in charge of Uttar Pradesh. "An intelligent and daring leader like Priyanka is essential in national politics. The country also wishes that Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister," the former Chief Minister remarked.

APCC president N Raghuveera Reddy said they left the decision of electoral alliances to AICC president Rahul Gandhi. However, he hastened to add that the Congress would fight the elections in Andhra Pradesh on its own.

The Congress, which formed a pre-poll alliance with the TDP and two others for the recent Assembly polls in Telangana, ended up with 19 seats, down from 21 in 2014, while the TDP won two seats as against 15 last time.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi won 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly to retain power.