Congress in a bind as regional parties play Andhra split card

As Seemandhra prepares to vote for a new dawn on May 7, Congress is faced with the tough task of weaning away electors from old foe Chandrababu Naidu and former partyman Jaganmohan Reddy, both of whom are eyeing big gains from voter angst over Andhra Pradesh's split.

Besides, Congress, which has ruled the combined state for several decades, has to overcome a multitude of challenges like large-scale exodus of leaders protesting bifurcation and anti-incumbency factor in Seemandhra, which encompasses the regions of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra.

Jaganmohan's YSRCP, Naidu-led TDP and the just launched Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP) of Kiran Kumar Reddy, political analysts say, are likely to capitalise on the chinks in Congress' armour. Seemandhra has nearly 3.5 crore voters.

Elections are scheduled simultaneously for assembly and Lok Sabha in Seemandhra on May 7. A total of 333 candidates are in the fray for 25 Lok Sabha seats and 2,243 for 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra.

Andhra Pradesh has been a crucial state for Congress as it had sent 33 MPs to Lok Sabha in 2009, strengthening the base for the party to lead the UPA-II government at the Centre.

The last Lok Sabha poll results also marked an improvement for the national party as it had won four more seats as compared to 2004, when 29 MPs were elected on Congress tickets from the state.

Congress also won the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh twice consecutively in 2004 and 2009, dashing the hopes of regional heavyweight TDP to capture power.

However, the situation has taken a massive turn after the Congress-led UPA government went ahead with the creation of a separate Telangana state, ignoring stiff opposition from Seemandhra leaders cutting across party lines.

The rank and file of Congress collapsed with several Union ministers from the region resigning, while some like D Purandeswari switched over to BJP. Moreover, the party also suffered a setback following the launch of JSP headed by former Congress Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

State Congress leaders, however, are determined to put up a strong fight as they believe that the fortunes of the party can be revived in Seemandhra.

According to senior Congress leader and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo, the party has given several benefits for boosting the growth of Seemandhra region through the AP Reorganisation Act. "Various measures for the development of Seemandhra have been incorporated in the Act," he says.

However, TDP and JSP appear confident about upstaging Congress.

Vundavalli Aruna Kumar, Lok Sabha member from Rajahmundry seat who quit Congress and joined JSP, says that Congress is likely to pay a heavy price for bifurcating the state.

"Not even one contestant fielded by Congress is going to win from Seemandhra this time.

They (Congress) went ahead with bifurcation, despite the Andhra Pradesh Assembly rejecting AP Reorganisation Bill," he claims.