Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy appears to have conceded defeat, albeit indirectly, in the by-elections to 18 assembly seats and Nellore Lok Sabha seat scheduled to be held on June 12.

“Whether it is Congress or YSR Congress, whoever wins the forthcoming by-elections would get only slender margin. The contest is very tough this time. And the fight is mainly between YSR Congress and the Congress.  The Telugu Desam Party will be reduced to third position in all the seats,” the chief minister said in Payakaraopet in Visakhpatnam on Friday.

Kiran’s statement is completely contrary to the statement of Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana that the Congress would win majority of the seats in by-elections. The Chief Minister, perhaps, is trying to sound more practical in his words. “I am pinning hopes on the welfare and developmental programmes being implemented in the state,” he said.

The Chief Minister is also frustrated with the frequent by-elections in the state due to resignation of selfish politicians. “We are contemplating enacting legislation to see that those who resign for silly reasons or get disqualified for defying party whips, would not be eligible to contest again for another 10 years,” he said.