Pre-poll surveys favour YSR Cong in AP

                                                                                 
Initial round of pre-poll surveys conducted by different TV channels and other organisations have predicted YSR Congress Party’s victory in the ensuing Assembly bypolls.
According to these surveys, the YSRC is poised to get a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 16 seats. However, Congress candidate and seasoned politician and businessman T Subbarami Reddy was slated as a winner in the Nellore Lok Sabha seat.

A Telugu TV channel which has conducted a pre-poll survey from May 1 to May 10 in all the 18 Assembly segments and one parliament constituency announced that YSRCP would get  at least 14 of the 18 seats while the TDP would get 2, Congress and TRS one each.

The channel predicted that the TDP may win Payakaraopet and Prattipadu constituencies and the Congress may bag Narsapuram in the coastal region. It also give the TRS a victory from Parakala seat in Telangana.

While the BJP and the TRS took extra time in announcing their candidates for the Parkala seat and the CBI case on Jagan taking curious turns on day to day basis, most of the TV channels are making arrangements for conducting one or two more rounds of surveys to  know if there was any change in the people’s mood.

Political observers point out that sympathy for Jagan might increase if he was arrested before the bypolls.

“Congress is not going to lose even after Jagan’s arrest. His arrest will stop further rot in Congress and save the party,” Congress Spokes person Tulasi Reddy said in a TV show.
Many Congress leaders share Reddy’s point of view and are dismissing these survey reports.

They said people have started understanding corrupt practices of Jagan and this would result in an adverse situation to him. However, YSRC leaders are confident of total win and are stating that both the Congress and the TDP would lose their deposits.

Initial round of surveys predict a 40 per cent of the votes for YSRCP,  32 per cent to Congress and 38 per cent to TDP. However, in Parakala, TV reports say that TRS and BJP would share first and second places while Congress, YSRC and TDP would get 12 to 18 per cent of votes.
Deccan Herald  

Jagan DA case: CBI to question AP Excise Minister

                                                                          
The CBI is set to question the Excise Minister of Andhra Pradesh M Venkataramana over the YSR Congress Chief Jaganmohan Reddy alleged unaccounted wealth.
This will be the second time the former Ports and Infrastructure minister will be deposing before the CBI in the Jagan disproportionate assets case.
The CBI on Friday questioned Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy in YSR Congress Party leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy's alleged illegal assets case. A team of CBI officials questioned the minister at her residence here for about three hours, CBI sources said. The minister was questioned about the permissions and licenses given to certain cement companies, which allegedly made investments into Jagan's companies under quid pro quo arrangement.
Sabita Indra Reddy was the minister for mines in YS Rajasekhara Reddy's cabinet from 2004 to 2009. She reportedly told the CBI that the licenses were given to cement companies as per the decision taken by the cabinet and that she did not violate any norms while issuing the orders. She is the third minister questioned by the CBI in the Jagan case.
In March and April, the investigating agency questioned excise minister Mopidevi Venkatramna and roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, who were ministers for infrastructure and revenue in YSR's cabinet. The home minister was questioned a day after the CBI served a notice on Mopidevi, asking him to appear again on May 21 for questioning with regard to the allotments made for Vanpic port project of industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad, who was arrested two days ago.
The CBI is questioning the ministers at a time when YSR Congress party is alleging that its leader Jagan is being targeted to damage the party prospects in the next month's by-election to one Lok Sabha and 18 assembly seats. A CBI court has served notice on Jagan asking him to appear before the court May 28 in connection with the first of the three chargesheets so far filed in the case.
Sabita, Mopidevi and Dharmana are among the six ministers who were issued notices by the Supreme Court March 12, asking them why their role should not be probed with regard to the 26 government orders issued during the tenure of YSR, who died in a helicopter crash in 2009. The orders allegedly benefited certain companies in the form of lands and licenses, and in return they invested in the firms owned by YSR's son Jagan.
The CBI had booked a case against Jagan and 72 others in August last year on the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
from IBN LIVE

CBI plans to scan cheques

                                                                             
The Central Bureau of Investigation has the Herculean task of going through lakhs of cheques piled up in the godowns of various banks in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and other places for its probe into the bogus companies that invested in firms belonging to Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The cheques (instruments) will be needed to connect the flow of money through the alleged fly-by-night companies into Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s firms. CBI sleuths are taking the help of bank officials to trace the cheques by getting the bank godowns opened.
A source in the agency said, “We are trying to knit a sequence of flow of funds by tracking back to each company. In case of companies belonging to the industrialist, Mr Nimmagadda Prasad, like Alpha Villas, Alpha Avenues and Gilchrist Investments that invested Rs 70 crore in Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s firms, we have traced the money route. We have got some specific evidence regarding money inflows into these companies.” “We are still probing regarding the other companies,” the source added. The cheques will be produced as evidence in court.
CBI quizzes auditors of Vanpic Ports on Prasad’s companies
The Central Bureau of Investi-gation on Sunday grilled the auditors of Vanpic Ports Private Limited, C. Maruthi Nagendram, Annam Raju and P. Jagannatham and the company secretary Nagendaran Jagannathan, on how Nimmagadda Prasad floated several companies in order to bag the Vadarevu Nizampatnam Ports and Industrial Corridor project. The CBI grilled Mr Prasad and IRAS official Brahmananda Reddy on the third day of questioning in CBI custody.
The key allegation is that Prasad floated Vanpic Projects Limited after the project was awarded to Vanpic Ports Limited by the state government. Vanpic Projects Limited, controlled by Nimmagadda Prasad, was allotted 13,000 acres of land where as Vanpic Ports is a special purpose vehicle with Ras Al Khaima as a partner. Sources said the auditor Nagendaran Jagannathan, reportedly told the CBI, that Vanpic invested in Jagan firms despite strong opposition from some of its directors.
Investigations have revealed that Vanpic Ports Private Limited, an SPV, was incorporated on March 31, 2008 with Nimmagadda Prasad and Matrix Enport Holdings as the original subscriber to the memorandum, without any mention or involvement of RAK. RAK entered Vanpic Ports subsequently.
from DC
The CBI also discovered during its investigation that Vanpic Projects Private Limited came into existence later and grabbed 13,000 acres of land in the Vanpic Ports area. The ports project was awarded to Vanpic Ports in July, 2008. However, while issuing the GO regarding allotment of land in September 2008, around 6,406 acres of land was allotted to Vanpic Projects Private Limited of Secunderabad.

Jagan draws crowds during roadshow

                                                                        

YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, MP on Sunday conducted extensive roadshows in the town in an effort to get closer to the people ahead of the crucial by-elections in the State.

He restarted his campaign in support of party nominee Balineni Srinivasa Reddy on the narrow lanes and bylanes after paying floral tributes to Prakasam Pantulu on his death anniversary.

A day after launching a scathing attack on the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party for their alleged tacit political understanding to corner the YSR Congress Party politically in the State, he concentrated on interacting with a maximum number of people, including women and youth.

He got down from his campaign vehicle at several places and exchanged greetings with the young and old people and promised to take care of their interests.

The scion of Dr YSR affectionately touched the forehead of old women one after another, who saw in him the late Chief Minister who had introduced several welfare schemes benefitting every family.

Fee reimbursement

He kissed babies given to him by young women and shook hands with boys and girls who came towards him to acknowledge but for his father they would not have got fee reimbursement to pursue higher studies.

They complained to him there was uncertainty on release of fund for fee reimbursement by the State government.

Some in the crowd yelled that that they could do justice only when YSR raj was re-established in the State under his stewardship.

Many in the crowd tried to capture him in their mobile phones as the YSRC chief covered among other areas, the Nehru Colony, Bilal Nagar, Prakasam Colony, Papa Colony, Karuna Colony, Balram Colony, Chinnamalleswara Colony and Kesavarajakunta.

from hindu

Kiran plans to step up ‘Jagan-bashing

                                                                       

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and other Congress leaders plan to sharpen their attack on YSR Congress Party chief Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy in the coming days after getting encouraging feedback from the cadres.

The Chief Minister, who completed his first round of campaign in 17 out of the 18 Assembly constituencies and Nellore Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday, is keen on hitting the road again after taking a break for two or three days. All through this round of campaign, he tried hard and succeeded to a large extent in proving his detractors wrong that he was a ‘covert' of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy.

In all likelihood, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy would campaign in Polavaram constituency, which was not covered in the present round. Party leaders are satisfied that the seniors have fallen in line to the high command's warning to participate in the campaign. Almost all seniors joined the electioneering and with the single point agenda of Jagan-bashing.

Mr. Reddy led from the front targeting Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy exposing how the ill-gotten money earned by him was visible in the form of palatial houses constructed in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Accusing him of amassing wealth by misusing his father's position, the Chief Minister justified his government's decision to stop advertisement to Sakshi media group and also attaching the properties of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy's companies.

“We could prove a point to the cadres that we are not lagging behind in taking on Jagan. Party workers are now confident that they can take on YSR Congress,” a senior Congress leader remarked.

Even AICC emissary Vayalar Ravi plunged head long into the campaign addressing public meetings in East and West Godavari and Kurnool districts. The Chief Minister and PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana put up united efforts by addressing joint meetings and attacking Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy from all sides.

The campaign in the last two weeks clearly showed that the ruling party treated YSR Congress as its principal rival rather than the TDP.

While selectively highlighting the government's good work and denying Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy's charge that Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's pet programmes were diluted, the focus was more on exposing the CBI cases against the Kadapa MP.

from Hindu

Congress leader to join YSRCP

                                                                               

AICC member and an aspirant of party ticket for the Payakaraopeta Assembly seat Ambati Vijaya Rao has decided to join the YSR Congress Party.

Ms. Vijaya Rao left Payakaraopeta for Macherla in Guntur district on Sunday to join the YSRCP in the presence of its president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is campaigning for the party candidate there.

She told reporters at Payakaraopeta before leaving for Macherla that she was forced to leave the Congress as a “back-stabber” was selected for the seat.

from hindu

Minor clash at YSRCP road show

                                                                              
YSR Congress Party nominee for Nellore Lok Sabha seat, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, took out a road show in the city on Sunday with the active participation of party cadres. A small incident marred the show with some participants, who were in inebriated condition, coming to blows. It took place as the former MP's rally, which started at Kondayapalem Gate, was coming to a end near Hotel Leo on GT Road.
from hindu