Hyderabad:
Kiran Kumar Reddy will be sworn in as new Andhra Chief Minister on Thursday. Reddy is the speaker of the current assembly, and was the chief whip of the Congress in the previous government of YS Rajashekhar Reddy.
Reddy is a three-time MLA from Pileru, in the Chittoor district, in Rayalseema. He has played first-class cricket for Hyderabad. He was very close to the former chief minister YSR, but reportedly has strained relations with YSR's son, Jagan Mohan Reddy. (
Read: Who is Kiran Kumar Reddy?)
"Sonia Gandhi has named Kiran Kumar Reddy as the new leader," Mukherjee told reporters late on Wednesday.
Earlier in the evening, senior party leaders from Delhi, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Law Minister Veerappa Moily, who is also the General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, met with Congress MLAs in Hyderabad. A resolution was passed asking Sonia Gandhi to select the new leader.
At a press conference this afternoon, Rosaiah said his age makes it tough for him to continue in office. He also said he has faced problems with coordinating the party. Since Rosaiah was promoted from Finance to Chief Minister, he has faced considerable opposition from within the Congress, much of it provoked by Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose father was the immensely-popular YSR.
(Watch: K Rosaiah resigns)Over the last few days, the Congress in Andhra Pradesh has faced a public and massive attack from one of its own against the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi.
Last Friday, Sakshi TV, owned by Jagan Mohan, broadcast a program that was scathing in its assessment of both leaders. The channel's management said Jagan Mohan was not aware of the show's contents. Re-runs of the same show did not carry the controversial parts.
(Read: Sakshi TV report criticises Sonia, PM)After his father died in a helicopter crash in 2009, Jagan has rebelled openly against the party's decision to appoint Rosaiah as YSR's successor. He conducted his Odarpu Yatra - a tour of the state and a show of strength, - in open defiance of the party which had ordered him to cut short the road show.
Despite the Sakshi TV attack, the Congress has decided that it will not penalise Jagan for now - the party believes it needs to focus on its battle with the Opposition in parliament over the 2G spectrum scam. This winter session has seen non-stop adjournment of both houses over the 2G issue.
(Read: Congress decides not to penalise Jagan)The next chief minister of Andhra Pradesh will take over as the state waits with considerable tension for a report on whether it should be bifurcated. Telangana has been campaigning for statehood - the Union government agreed to that last December after different political parties expressed their support for a Telangana state.
However, they changed their minds after leaders from non-Telangana regions expressed their discontent with the bifurcation. The Centre then set up the Srikrishna Commission to investigate whether there's consensus within the public and political parties on the issue. The Commission is expected to share its report in December.
Those in Telangana have organized several protests, some of which ended in violence, to insist that the government agree to a new state.