New Delhi, Sep 3 - With Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's death, the Congress party will not only miss its most powerful regional satrap but also its mascot of good governance, whose work Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi cited almost everywhere they went, say political analysts.

Andhra Pradesh is a critical state for the Congress and the party does not have a person of Reddy's stature to replace him. His initiatives as the chief minister became a showcase of the party's claim to good governance during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

'His clout and control over the state was such that he ran the Congress like a regional party. There was no mass leader like him for the party anywhere across India,' analyst G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told IANS.

He said: 'This is one state that has become critical for the party even nationally, not just in south India.'

YSR's death may give way to internal bickerings in the party, which the Congress just cannot afford, Rao said.

Political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan said: 'Reddy was the last of the regional satraps of the Congress. There is hardly any leader like him at the grassroots in the entire country. They have national leaders, but nobody down the line.'

He catapulted the Congress to power after 10 years of hibernation and took it to a second consecutive term this year, besides winning 33 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats from the state. It was a single-handed feat, the seeds for which were sown by his historic 64-day 'padayatra' or walkathon in 2003.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday underscored the leader's political acumen and development initiatives.

Gandhi told reporters that when the party was planning the strategy ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha elections, Reddy asked the party leadership not to worry.