Hyderabad: The central leadership of the Congress party has intensified efforts to find a successor to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash last week.
The late chief minister`s long time friend KVP Ramachandra Rao Tuesday met Congress general secretary in-charge of party affairs in the state M Veerappa Moily in New Delhi.
Rao, who is also a member of Rajya Sabha, and all members of parliament belonging to the party are scheduled to meet party president Sonia Gandhi individually later in the day, party sources said here.
KVP, as Rao is popularly known, conveyed to Moily the sentiments of party workers and leaders, who are demanding the leadership to name YSR`s son YS Jaganmohan Reddy as his successor.
He will also bring to the notice of Sonia Gandhi the growing demand by a majority of party leaders for making Jagan the next chief minister. After meeting KVP, the Congress party will call the MPs individually to know their choice.
Senior leaders including Keshava Rao and V Hanumantha Rao and MP U Arun Kumar met Sonia Gandhi Monday to discuss the political situation created by the sudden and tragic death of YSR.
The central leadership is holding consultations before sending a group of senior leaders here to elicit the opinion of a cross-section of the party leaders. A three-member group headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to arrive here Thursday.
The leadership has already advised all sections of party not to publicly air their views on the leadership issue and plans to find a successor after the seven-day mourning period gets over.
Meanwhile, YSR`s brother YS Vivekananda Reddy hoped that the leadership would pick Jagan as the successor of the late chief minister. "We hope that the high command will understand the sentiments of party leaders and legislators while taking a decision," he said.
"There is a feeling in the party that Jagan alone can do justice to the policies and programmes of the late leader by continuing them," said Vivekananda Reddy, who had left Kadapa Lok Sabha seat for Jagan in the recent elections.
Bureau Report
