Even before the first vote is counted, the race for the chief minister's post has begun in the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress with some senior leaders making moves to further their chances.

While Congress Legislature Party leader in the dissolved assembly Y S Rajasekhar Reddy is widely seen as the party's chief ministerial candidate, former Union minister and Dalit leader G Venkataswamy, former chief minister N Bhaskar Rao and state party chief D Srinivas are believed to be the contenders for the coveted post.

In the midst of rumblings within the party, Srinivas was summoned to Delhi to discuss the issue. He had recently triggered a controversy by stating that a section of party men were trying to malign his leadership. He left for Delhi on Friday night, party sources said in Hyderabad.