Hyderabad, Nov. 25: The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has decided to field Mrs Vijayalakshmi, wife of the late Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, as the party’s candidate in the Pulivendula Assembly bypoll scheduled for December 19.
However, YSR’s wife, who is in Bengaluru, did not show much inclination to contest when Mrs Gandhi spoke to her on Wednesday.
Following this, the Congress president met her son and the Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was in Delhi, and asked him to go to Bengaluru and convince his mother to contest.
Later in the day, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Bengaluru.
By choosing Mrs Vijayalakshmi, Mrs Gandhi has turned down the plea of the YSR family to allow Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy to enter state politics through the bypoll.
It is evident that Mrs Gandhi wants Mr K. Rosaiah to continue as Chief Minister for a reasonable period and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy to bide his time.
During an earlier meeting with Mrs Gandhi, the Kadapa MP had expressed his wish to contest from Pulivendula, which his father represented six times.
Mrs Gandhi also asked the Rajya Sabha member and longtime associate of YSR, Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, to convince Mrs Vijayalakshmi to contest. Sources told this correspondent that YSR’s wife would be persuaded to file the nomination papers in the next two days.
Earlier, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy told mediapersons in Parliament that the Congress president wanted his mother to contest from Pulivendula and it was his duty to abide by whatever she decides.
When mediapersons asked what would happen in case Mr Vijayalakshmi refused, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said that some other person from the family would be chosen. But he expressed the hope that his mother would contest.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that Mrs Vijayalakshmi might be inducted into state cabinet in the next reshuffle proposed by Mr Rosaiah.
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