Senior party leaders have also cautioned the leadership against repeating the mistake made in the past by ignoring local sentiments and imposing leaders from the centre.
In a compromise formula balancing ‘popular sentiment’ and the need for experience at the helm, the Congress looks set to appoint YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s son, Jaganmohan, as the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Senior party leaders tasked with resolving the issue are said to have told party chief Sonia Gandhi that there is no way the party can ignore the “unprecedented emotional upsurge” after YSR’s death.
The leadership, which was reluctant about giving the top job to Jaganmohan given his inexperience, is now slowly coming around to the view that the only way to retrieve the situation is to make him the deputy chief minister. The party believes that the move will help appease Reddy’s supporters and help in stabilising the state government. which met late on Thursday night, went through reports from its leaders in the state as well as the central leaders who have been to the state recently. “There is no doubt an emotional upsurge at the moment,” said finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Jaganmohan’s supporters, though vociferous about his being made the chief minister, are likely to accept the party’s decision. KVP Ramachandra Rao, YSR’s close friend and the pointsman of the Jaganmohan camp, has told DNA that Reddy’s supporters would ultimately accept the high command’s decision.
Senior party leaders have also cautioned the leadership against repeating the mistake made in the past by ignoring local sentiments and imposing leaders from the centre.
“There was a point where we had seven chief ministers in 10 years, and it resulted in the growth of regional sentiments and parties like the TDP,’’ said a senior AICC office bearer.
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