Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah was on Saturday nominated the Congress Legislature Party leader by party chief Sonia Gandhi, bringing down the curtains on the issue of sucessor to late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash more than two months ago.
Gandhi nominated 77-year-old Rosiah a day after the CLP had met on Friday and authorised her to take the decision. "In accordance with the unanimous resolution of the CLP, Andhra Pradesh, All India Congress Committee president is pleased to nominate K Rosaiah as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Andhra Pradesh," senior leader M Veerappa Moily, party in-charge for the state, said.
The announcement by Moily came after he and another senior leader Pranab Mukherjee met Gandhi. The issue of CLP leader had become ticklish in the wake of 'Jagan-for-CM' campaign by the supporters of Reddy who pressed the party high command to appoint the late chief minister's 37-year-old son and Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in the top post.
Rosaiah, who had been no. 2 in various party governments in the state, was made the CM after Reddy's death on September 2. Gandhi's decision was on expected lines after the Congress high command managed to mollify the Jagan camp by giving Reddy's widow Y S Vijayalaxmi a ticket for the assembly bypoll from the Reddy family pocket-borough of Pulivendula.
The high command also persuaded Jaganmohan to move the resolution at the CLP meeting on Friday to leave the decision of choosing CLP leader to Gandhi.
About a month ago, Gandhi had asked Jaganmohan to leave the issue of chief ministership to her. Since then, Jaganmohan has been maintaining that he will abide by the party decision.
Image: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosiah
