Reddy's demise comes as bolt from the blue for Cong

New Delhi, Sept 3 (PTI) Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's sudden
death has come as a bolt from the blue for the Congress party
for which he was one of the leaders who contributed to the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coming to power in two
consecutive elections.

The news of his death cast a pall of gloom over the All
India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters at 24 Akbar Road
where the party tricolour flew at half mast.

Reddy helped the Congress party come back to power in the
2004 assembly elections in the state, ending a 10-year-long
political wilderness for the party, is the refrain of party
leaders, small and big.

Their contention is that the void created by the death of
the 60-year-old leader was hard to fill in the state where he
had made mincemeat of the opposition in the recently concluded
Lok Sabha as well as assembly elections.

India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh was the star
among the Congress-ruled states as it had given the maximum
number or seats both in 2004 and 2009 elections of Lower House
of Indian Parliament-Lok Sabha, paving the way for the UPA's
return to power.

Senior leader Motilal Vora recalled how the Chief
Minister had met him at the Hyderabad Raj Bhawan last Sunday
and told him about his plans of whirlwind tour of the
drought-hit districts of the state to give succour to people.

AICC general secretaries Mohsina Kidwai and V Narayansamy
said that Reddy's death was a big shock for the party. (More)
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