4 years after quitting, ex-Andhra CM Kiran Kumar Reddy returns to Congress

New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy returned to the Congress fold on Friday, four years after quitting the party.

Congress' communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala announced Reddy's return to the party after the former chief minister met party president Rahul Gandhi at his residence.

Reddy joined the party in the presence of AICC Andhra Pradesh in-charge Oommen Chandy, Surjewala and APCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

Reddy had quit as chief minister and the Congress in February 2014, protesting against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. His meeting with the Congress chief came following talks with the party's leaders over two months.

Reddy, the last chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, had floated the Jai Samaikya Andhra party after quitting the Congress. He fought the 2014 elections but failed to make a mark.

At one point, speculation was rife that Reddy might join the BJP, but it did not materialise and he had been staying away from active politics for the last four years.

A former cricketer, Reddy turned into an avid golfer in the past four years, one of his close friends, who too plays golf, said.

With the state assembly and Lok Sabha elections due in 2019, the Congress leadership started negotiations with Reddy over the past few months, seeking his to return to the parent organisation.

While conveying his inclination to make a comeback, Reddy reportedly sought a key position in the AICC, befitting his stature.

Former union minister M M Pallam Raju and Rajya Sabha member T Subbarami Reddy had held talks with Reddy in June before AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Oommen Chandy met him in Hyderabad early in July.

Interestingly, Reddy's younger brother Kishore Kumar joined the TDP a few months ago.