This Article is From Mar 22, 2012

Andhra Pradesh minister quits over Congress' defeat in by-polls

Andhra Pradesh minister quits over Congress' defeat in by-polls
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Health Minister DL Ravindra Reddy has submitted his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the party's defeat in the by-polls.

He has cited the dismal performance of the Congress party as the reason behind his resignation and has reportedly owned moral responsibility for the party's defeat.

The Telangana Rashtriya Samiti or TRS won four of the seven assembly seats in the by-poll results declared yesterday. Voting was held on Sunday. Six of the seven seats are located in Telangana.

The TRS, headed by K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), defeated the ruling Congress party and main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Station Ghanpur, Kollapur, Adilabad and Kamareddy constituencies. Both the TDP and the Congress are accused by the Telangana movement of not supporting its demand of statehood.

The results pose a serious survival threat for the ruling Congress and also make the writing on the wall clear: That the demand for a separate Telangana state cannot be wished away.

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