Hyderabad: Former Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy said he would not be in the race for the Chief Minister’s post if the Congress won the elections, citing his age. “Age is the factor, we cannot hurry up things like earlier,” Mr Jaipal Reddy, 76, said.
He was speaking to mediapersons after sucessfully persuading Mr M. Venu Goud, a disappointed Congress aspirant who had filed his nomination papers from Rajendranagar, to withdraw from the contest.
The former Union minister said, “The Congress will announce the Chief Minister candidate after the election results are out. Whoever may be the Chief Minister, seniors like us will extend our full support.” On other issues, Mr Jaipal Reddy said, “I’m the one who fought for introducing the Telangana Bill in Parliament.”
Earlier, speaking at a Meet the Media programme, Mr Jaipal Reddy slammed the TRS government saying that caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has “looted the state” through commissions.
He said, “The estimates were increased for the Kaleshwaram project by redesigning it and money was looted by collecting commissions. No promise made by the TRS was fulfilled after it came to power.”
Mr Jaipal Reddy said the Mahakutami would win at least 75 seats.
