Srinivas is Andhra PCC president

The Congress High Command on Tuesday appointed Andhra Pradesh Higher Education Minister D Srinivas as state Congress chief about a year ahead of the Assembly elections.

Srinivas will succeed G S Rao, who was acting as a stop-gap PCC chief following the resignation of Keshava Rao in the wake of a controversy last year. The announcement came after Congress president Sonia Gandhi held talks with Chief Minister Y S Rajashekara Reddy earlier in the day “Srinivas is a good omen for me,” the CM said later. He recalled that Srinivas was PCC chief when he was elected CM in 2004. Srinivas, who hails from Telangana, belongs to the influential Kapu community and his appointment has come amid reports that Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, who also hails from the community, is planning to float a party ahead of the polls.