Former minister Dr P Shankar Rao has opined that all the 155 Congress MLAs were eligible to the post of chief minister and not the senior minister K Jana Reddy was alone eligible for the pivotal post.

Speaking to the media on the Assembly premises here on Tuesday, Dr Rao demanded that the party replace the Chief Minister and the PCC president. He said that the party faced severe drubbing in the recent bye-elections just because of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana. Therefore, they should resign from their posts voluntarily without giving trouble to the high command to sack them. He said that the party could win two seats because two strong communities had supported the party. He opined that the party high command should choose persons with ability to strengthen the party and effectively implement development and welfare schemes as Chief Minister and PCC Chief.

He also pointed out that the party had come to power when the PCC Chiefs were from Telangana region. The party had come to power twice in 1978 and 1989 when PCC Chiefs were from the Telangana region.

Responding on Dharmana Prasada Rao-led Ministers Committee, Dr Rao said the Committee could only tell about the defeat and it would say nothing on how to win elections. He said that the causes for the party’s defeat could be explained only by ministers, in-charges, Chief Minister, PCC Chief and others who had participated in the campaigning. He also said that those who had canvassed for the party were the main reason for the thumping win of the YSRCP.