Congress will perform well in bypolls: AP CM

Hyderabad, May 18 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today expressed confidence that Congress would put up a good show in next month's bypolls to one Lok Sabha seat and 18 assembly constituencies. Speaking to reporters in Anantapur district, where he campaingned in support of Congress candidates, he said the party would win the assembly seats in the district. The electorate have understood how the Congress MLAs "cheated their parent party and switched loyalty (to Jagan's party", he said. Meanwhile, Union Minister Vayalar Ravi, who is overseeing the party's campaign in the state, has held a meeting with party leaders to review the preparedness for the bypolls. Ravi told mediapersons last night that a new enthusiasm can be seen in the Congress workers now than earlier. State Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana wondered why Jagan remained silent on the allegations of corruption against him. Bypolls to 16 of the 18 assembly seats were necessitated as the sitting Congress MLAs were disqualified by the Assembly Speaker in December last for switching loyalty to Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and voting against the Congress government during a floor test. While another sitting member had quit in support of Jagan, actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi quit as MLA following his election to Rajya Sabha. By-election in the lone Lok Sabha seat of Nellore was necessitated because the sitting Congress member quit in support of Jagan.