Politics of nomination keeps Kiran on toes

The disagreement between Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and senior leaders in the state Congress on filling the nominated posts in the Andhra Pradesh government is keeping the aspirants on tenterhooks.

Kiran Kumar Reddy has made it abundantly clear that filling of nominated posts in the government has become a conundrum for him as every other leader in the party is demanding his or her pound of flesh.

Kiran Reddy recently divulged that party MPs and MLAs had given him several lists of names of candidates, making it impossible for him to finalise appointments. Hence, he asked the party MPs and MLAs from each district to sit together and prepare one common list. But, the MPs and MLAs could not do it and, on top of it, they began exerting pressure on him to fill the posts with persons of their choice. The clamour for posts has brought about a vertical split in the party along the Congress and erstwhile Praja Rajyam.

For instance, erstwhile Praja Rajyam leaders like ministers C Ramachandraiah and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are said to be pressuring for a share to the erstwhile PRP leaders. None other than the erstwhile PRP president Chiranjeevi has demanded recently that the party leadership give a fair share to his camp in the nominated posts.

Making the exercise of filling the nominated posts more complicated, senior MLAs such as Anam Vivekanada Reddy are demanding nomination of only candidates defeated in the 2009 elections and the recent bypolls.

Some other senior leaders feel that if the chief minister is given a free hand to fill the posts, he may fill them with his close aides and yes-men.

V Hanumantha Rao, MP, demands that all the lists submitted to the chief minister be kept with AICC leader in charge of state party affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad and a brainstorming session be convened to distinguish party loyalists from betrayers before filling the posts.

-Sunday Standard