Hyderabad: State Congress president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said the party did not lose the recent Assembly elections due to TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu, and there were several other factors. “If the alliance was confirmed earlier, the result might have been different,” he said.
He said a decision will be taken on continuing the Prajakutami alliance after discussing it with TS Congress incharge R.C. Khuntia. There might be clarity next week, he said.
“The Congress and other Prajakutami members are in a dilemma on whether or not to continue with the alliance. The Congress is also worried that the people have not accepted the alliance,” he told media persons after hoisting the Congress flag to mark the party’s foundation day.
He also brought up Assembly election-related issues. “We are approaching the High Court for the counting of VVPAT slips but officials are removing the slips. I don’t know under whose direction all these things are taking place,” Mr Reddy said.
He said the party would approach the Central Election Commission on the matter. “Though we have lost the election with one per cent of the votes cast in Dharmapuri, Kodad and Ibrahimpatnam, officials have not counted the VVPAT slips,” he asked. Mr Reddy asked who was responsible for the mismatch in the number of votes polled and number of votes counted. “There is no one to respond on this. After 4 pm, thousands of votes were polled in Mancherial. How is it possible,” he said.
Mr Reddy refused to comment on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s Federal Front. He said the party would review its Assembly election performance. “We are talking to the candidates. We have submitted a preliminary report to the AICC about the defeat,” he said.
