The succession drama in Andhra Pradesh seems to have taken a short break. Soon after the Andhra Pradesh government announced the death of its chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash last week, the race among contenders for the top job in the state became intense. Members of the ruling party were divided into camps, each projecting its leader as the rightful heir to the seat that fell vacant after Rajasekhara Reddy's sudden death. The shrillest campaign was organised by the deceased leader's son, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. But once Congress President Sonia Gandhi told the different camps to desist from making a public display of their succession claims, there is now an apparent lull.
A new government has been sworn in with K Rosaiah as the chief minister. Several other members of the Rajasekhara Reddy government have been re-inducted into the new ministry. It is likely that once the mourning period is over, the Congress high command in New Delhi may decide to reopen the succession issue. There is also a distinct possibility that having quelled the initial drama over succession, the Congress leadership in New Delhi may just decide to buy some more time and let the Rosaiah government stabilise the situation for some more months. After all, the next Assembly elections are still five years away. That move might upset Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his large band of followers in the state, although it is not clear for how long he will remain the favourite candidate to succeed his deceased father. In politics as in life, time is a great leveller and power begets more power. If K Rosaiah manages to stabilise the political situation and beefs up the state administration and governance, he is likely to emerge as an alternative to Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Note that K Rosaiah’s earlier public pronouncements to the effect that he had no objection to Jaganmohan Reddy becoming the next chief minister were made when it was widely believed that Sonia Gandhi would quickly decide in favour of the son taking over from the deceased father, in tune with the spirit of dynastic politics that prevails in Congress.
Full Story: AK Bhattacharya: Dynastic politics under scrutiny - Business Standard
A new government has been sworn in with K Rosaiah as the chief minister. Several other members of the Rajasekhara Reddy government have been re-inducted into the new ministry. It is likely that once the mourning period is over, the Congress high command in New Delhi may decide to reopen the succession issue. There is also a distinct possibility that having quelled the initial drama over succession, the Congress leadership in New Delhi may just decide to buy some more time and let the Rosaiah government stabilise the situation for some more months. After all, the next Assembly elections are still five years away. That move might upset Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his large band of followers in the state, although it is not clear for how long he will remain the favourite candidate to succeed his deceased father. In politics as in life, time is a great leveller and power begets more power. If K Rosaiah manages to stabilise the political situation and beefs up the state administration and governance, he is likely to emerge as an alternative to Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Note that K Rosaiah’s earlier public pronouncements to the effect that he had no objection to Jaganmohan Reddy becoming the next chief minister were made when it was widely believed that Sonia Gandhi would quickly decide in favour of the son taking over from the deceased father, in tune with the spirit of dynastic politics that prevails in Congress.
Full Story: AK Bhattacharya: Dynastic politics under scrutiny - Business Standard
