HYDERABAD: After a gap of 11 years, an Andhra leader Botsa Satyanarayana has been made the president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).After YS Rajasekhara Reddy's stint during 1998-2000, the post had not never gone to any Andhra or Rayalaseema leader. In 2000 M Satyanarayana Rao was made the PCC chief. He demitted office in 2003. For one year D Srinivas was president (2003-04) and K Keshava Rao stepped into his shoes in 2004 and continued till 2007. Later, Srinivas became the president again and has continued till now. By appointing the transport minister from Vizianagaram district, the party high command has sought to send a signal that it is more interested in a dynamic leader who can motivate the youth into carrying the party's flag forward at a time when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is threatening to emerge as a leader in coastal Andhra.Before occupying the PCC chief's chair at 53 Botsa has come a long away. He was Lok Sabha member from Bobbili from 1999 to 2004 when the NDA was in power. In those days, he was the lone Congress MP from the entire AP coast. His wife Jhansi is now MP from Bobbili.Though his name was in the reckoning for the PCC chief's post, Satyanarayana never bothered about making trips to Delhi, probably because he was sure that that the party would give him the assignment since it found itself at the crossroads in the state and was in search of a leader who could bring back Kapus in the coastal district back into the party's fold.Satyanarayana, after doing his BA, entered politics in 1979 and was district youth Congress president. Then he slowly began rising in the party and became the PCC general secretary soon. He also served as chairman of the District Cooperative Central Bank.Satyanarayana was MLA from Cheepurupallin during 2004-09 and was re-elected to the Assembly in 2009. After the Congress came to power in 2004, he became a minister and held several portfolios: major industries, marketing, housing and weaker sections and pancahayt raj. His current portfolio of transport was not to his liking and he conveyed his displeasure to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Redy on the very day of the allocation of the portfolios.CM hails Botsa, lauds SrinivasHailing high command's decision to appoint Botsa Satyanarayana as PCC president, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has hoped the appointment will strengthen the party further in the state.Recalling the services of outgoing PCC chief D Srinivas, he said the latter strove for the party's successs in two successive elections in the state.
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