The outcome of the by-elections in Narasapuram and Ramachandrapuram constituencies has come as a sort of face saving for the Congress party.
Though the party managed to win the seats with a slender margin – over 5,000 votes in Narsapuram and over 7,000 votes in Ramachandrapuram, it has given some sort of morale boosting for the party.
In other constituencies in the coastal Andhra, too, such as Narsannapet and Payakaraopet, the Congress has managed to give some tough fight to the YSR Congress party.
It would have been in a total disaster for the ruling Congress party, had it been routed in all the constituencies, as was predicted by a couple of exit-poll surveys. It would have triggered in large scale exodus of the MLAs from the Congress into YSR Congress. Now, the MLAs would think twice before making a plunge into the Jagan party, though the Congress party is still in a state of disarray.
All said and done, the Congress party would have to focus on strengthening the party in the coming months and intensifying the developmental programmes, rather than only on targeting Jaganmohan Reddy. Otherwise, it would be in for a total disaster.
