In spite of Congress High Command's directive for restraint, there was no let up in the open campaign by followers of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to make him as chief minister on Sunday when he broke his silence leaving the issue to the party leadership.
At the same time, the son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy gave ample hints that he was in the race for succession even as his reluctant followers were persuaded to join interim chief minister K Rosaiah's Cabinet in which all the 34 ministers of the YSR team were sworn in.
The swearing-in, which ended confusion over whether the YSR Cabinet needed to take fresh oath as required under the Constitution, saw all the loyalists of the late chief minister take the oath after the intervention of Congress observer Digvijay Singh.
Jaganmohan, who was not present at the condolence meeting organised by PCC in state Congress headquarters, issued a four-page statement asking his supporters to stop their campaign for making him the chief minister and said the
decision should be left to the high command.
In a veiled indication that he was not ruling himself out of the succession race, the 37-year-old first time MP said
party chief Sonia Gandhi respects public perception and feelings of lakhs of Congress Party workers.
In a veiled indication that he was not ruling himself out of the succession race, the 37-year-old first time MP said
party chief Sonia Gandhi respects public perception and feelings of lakhs of Congress Party workers.
Gandhi, he said, will take a decision in such a way that his father's ideals, mission and zeal would not be compromised.