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Azad blasts BJP for shadowing Sonia

Shireen in Hyderabad

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had decided against contesting the Lok Sabha election from Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh ''not because the constituency was not considered to be safe enough''.

Even as the local Congress leaders waited in vain along with media persons from far and near at the district collector and returning officer's office in Cuddapah town, Sonia skipped the constituency and instead decided to contest from Bellary in the neighbouring Karnataka state.

Though a Congress stronghold, Cuddapah is located in the faction-ridden and volatile Rayalaseema region. Moreover, the constituency is notorious for poll-related violence and the vice-like grip of faction leaders who change parties to suit their vested interests.

After Sonia Gandhi's arrival in Hyderabad from Delhi on Tuesday night, there was speculation in the Congress circles that she would file her nomination papers from Cuddapah. The speculation was reinforced by the ambiguous answers given by Congress leaders to the probing questions from the media.

Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad even dropped strong hints that Cuddapah is the 'chosen constituency' in his interaction with the media on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning.

After an overnight stay at the Raj Bhavan guest house in Hyderabad, Sonia left for Bellary by a helicopter before noon on Wednesday.

But even as her chopper steered towards Bellary, the state Congress leaders, including Congress legislature party leader P Janardhan Reddy and former minister Mohammed Jani claimed that she headed for Cuddapah!

But after her chopper reached Bellary and there was no sign of her helicopter at Cuddapah when the time for the filing of nominations ended at 1500 hours, it became apparent that she had no intention of contesting from Cuddapah, despite the fact that it is considered to be the 'safest' seat for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

The constituency was represented in the dissolved Lok Sabha by Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, AP Congress president.

In fact, Dr Rajasekhar Reddy had been elected for four consecutive terms from Cuddapah (1989, 1991, 1996 and 1998).

This time, Rajasekhar Reddy has opted to contest the assembly election from Pulivendla so that he can be a candidate for the chief minister's post in case the Congress is able to wrest power from the Telugu Desam Party led by Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

Rajasekhar Reddy's younger brother and legislator Y S Vivekananda Reddy filed his nomination from the Cuddapah Lok Sabha constituency a couple of days ago.

Addressing the media in Hyderabad on his return from Bellary, Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed that the party had initially shortlisted Bellary and Cuddapah, besides Amethi in Uttar Pradesh for Sonia to contest.

He said that the decision on Bellary was taken on Wednesday morning after Sonia Gandhi's overnight stay in Hyderabad.

"At the last moment, she decided to go to Bellary. It is not that the other constituency is bad. Both are good and one of them was picked up," he explained.

He, however, lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for shadowing Sonia Gandhi in the constituencies where she was likely to contest.

"The way they were running after us only exposes their fears and frustration," he said and made light of the BJP's action of fielding Sushma Swaraj from Bellary.

"Whoever contests against Sonia Gandhi is bound to lose since the wind is in favour of the Congress," he asserted. "Sonia Gandhi will win hands down in both Bellary and Amethi." He recalled how the BJP tried to field a film actress (Vijaya Shanti) in Cuddapah and tried to bring 'someone else' in Bellary.

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Cuddapah results

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