Azad to hold talks with partymen in Hyderabad on Sunday

Hyderabad: Congress General Secretary, in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, Ghulam Nabi Azad will visit Hyderabad on Sunday to try and set things right in the troubled party in the state.

Azad, who is coming here for the inauguration of a five-star hotel built by party MP T Subbarami Reddy, is expected to chair a meeting of the party's state co-ordination committee after a gap of four months to iron out differences among Congress leaders ahead of the crucial by-elections to 18 Assembly seats.

Azad's visit assumes significance in view of the speculation that he might be replaced by another Union Minister Vayalar Ravi as Congress state in-charge.

Ghulam Nabi Azad will interact with senior leaders of the party apart from the co-ordination committee.

Ravi had toured the state a few days ago to take stock of the situation and later submitted a report to Sonia Gandhi on the state of affairs in the party.

Azad will interact with senior leaders of the party apart from the co-ordination committee.

Congress sources here said Azad, in consultation with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and other senior leaders, might finalise party candidates for many seats for the by-elections.

The party had been having a trouble in selecting the candidates for at least half a dozen seats, including the temple town of Tirupati.

PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana had submitted a list of names to Azad in New Delhi yesterday and a final decision on the candidates is expected tomorrow, party sources said.

Azad would give necessary instructions to state party leaders on the "effective steps" needed to be taken for ensuring Congress' victory in the by-elections by constituting committees right up to the polling booth level, the sources added.

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