March 26: The Chief Minister, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, has started to work on strategies to take on Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the forthcoming bypolls in Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies. The CM held a meeting with the three ministers from the district, the in-charge minister and some party legislators. The five MLAs from Kadapa loyal to Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy were kept away from the deliberations.

If the Election Commission does not announce the bypoll schedule by the first week of April, the Chief Minister plans to visit Kadapa after Ugadi festival and deliver a special message on the bypolls at a meeting of loyal Congress supporters. It is learnt that some former legislators including the Kadapa veteran, Mr R. Rajagopal Reddy, and his son, Mr Ramesh Reddy, will join the Congress in presence of Chief Minister.

Sources said when the issue of finalisation of party candidate for Kadapa Lok Sabha bypoll came up, Chief Minister reportedly told to “wait”, as the issue is still under consideration. He thinks that beating Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy will be easy provided the Congress and the TD field formidable candidates.

It is almost a cert that the agriculture minister and brother of the late Rajasekhar Reddy, Mr Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, would be fielded against Mrs Vijayalakshmi wife, YSR’s widow, for the Pulivendula Assembly bypoll. Mr Vivekananda Reddy’s term as MLC ends on March 29. And to this seat Mr B. Narayana Reddy of Jagan Mohan Reddy group has been elected already. However, Mr Vivekananda Reddy could continue to be minister for six more months from March 29 without having to be elected from either Houses.