Congress likely to lose Nellore ZP to Jagan camp

HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress is all set to lose one zilla parishad to former Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy. In an unexpected jolt to the party, influential Nellore zilla parishad chairman Kakani Goverdhan Reddy has decided to switch over to Jagan camp before the Sankaranti.
According to sources, Goverdhan is all set to quit the Congress with 20 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) members out of a total strength of 36 from the treasury benches.Another six will remain in the Congress but extend support to the chairman, the sources said. The Congress has 20 ZPs in the state.
Talking to STOI from Chennai, where he is currently camping, Goverdhan Reddy said his decision was irrevocable. "As many as 20 ZPTC members are with me now. All have jointly decided to quit Congress as the party has no future," he said. He said he is likely to take part in the one-day fast by YS Jaganmohan Reddy in Delhi on January 11.
The total strength of the Nellore ZP is 46 of which the Congress has 30 members. So, there won't be any threat to his continuance in the zilla parishad. With 20 members coming out from the Congress and another 5-6 members extending support, any move by Congress to remove him will not succeed, said his loyalists.
Though Goverdhan Reddy cites lack of support from the Congress government as the reason behind his decision to quit the party, but according to sources his differences with the Anam brothers might have played big role behind the decision.
Reddy, an engineering graduate from Mysore University, is also skeptical about chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's ability to steer clear the party from the mess it has got into ever since the death of YSR. "I don't see any future for the Congress in the state," he said.