By IANS,
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Congress unit president D. Srinivas, state assembly speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy and five ministers were among the prominent losers in the assembly elections.
Though the ruling Congress party appears on course to retain power, it has lost several sitting legislators, including heavyweights.
Srinivas, who also served as a minister in Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s cabinet, was defeated in Nizamabad (Urban) assembly constituency in his native Nizamabad district.
Two senior Congress leaders from the same district also had to bite the dust. Suresh Reddy was defeated in Balkonda constituency, while Energy and Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir lost the elections from Kamareddy.
Ministers Jeevan Reddy, Mohammed Fareeduddin and P. Venkateshwara Rao also lost the polls. Another minister N. Rajyalakshmi, wife of former chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy, also tasted defeat.
Actress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate Roja was defeated in Chandragiri assembly constituency in Chittoor district by minister G. Aruna Kumari. Actor and TDP leader Babu Mohan too lost the polls.
The prominent winners included TDP chief and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was re-elected from Kuppam constituency in his native Chittoor district.