Countdown for Congress govt in AP has begun: Narayana

HYDERABAD: The countdown for the exit of YS Rajasekhara Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh has begun, CPI state secretary K Narayana said on Sunday.

"The results of bypolls are generally in favour of the ruling party. But Congress suffered a setback in the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) bypolls. The countdown for the exit of this government has begun. Congress will be defeated in the ensuing elections," he told reporters in Hyderabad.

The assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held in April along with Lok Sabha polls.

In the ZPTC bypolls, Congress and TDP have won three seats each, while Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam emerged victorious in one seat.

Narayana held talks with CPI(M) state secretary BV Raghavulu on the alliance between the two parties. Both the parties have already entered into an electoral understanding with the TDP.

Raghavulu said the outcome of the ZPTC elections are an indicator of the growing anti-incumbency in the state.

"The chief minister claims that the state is shining due to its development programmes. But the ZPTC poll results have proved it otherwise," he said.