Strong start for Jagan Mohan Reddy, but big challenges ahead for new Andhra Pradesh chief minister

By: Prasad Bhosekar

After a landslide victory, YSR Jaganmohan Reddy (46) is all set to become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. The AP voters gave a sweeping mandate to Jagan for both state and the Centre, decimating chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Jaganmohan Reddy's YSRCP has won 151 Assembly seats out of the total 175 seats of Andhra Pradesh and 22 of its Lok Sabha seats. Sources said that Reddy is likely to take oath as CM on May 30.

"Ravali Jagan...Kavaali Jagan," ( Jagan should come...we want Jagan ) was the famous slogan coined by his supporters in Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party ( YSRCP ) in Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to 2019 General Elections. 

Andhra Pradesh went to polls for 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly constituencies on April 11. 

However, with this development, the worst political nightmare of outgoing Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has come true.

It's no secret that YS Jaganmohan Reddy wanted Chief Minister's post right after his father and former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh Late YS Rajashekar Reddy died in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009. 

However, the Indian National Congress party had firmly denied and since then Jagan started to chalk out his own plans and strategies.

YS Jaganmohan Reddy with K Lokesh Reddy (right).

Jagan's dream of becoming Chief Minister did not materialise even in 2014 when the residual state of Andhra Pradesh from which Telangana carved out came into existence. 

Jagan was super confident that he will become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and on the morning of the results day on May 16, 2014, plans was chalked out for his swearing-in and portfolios were being discussed in YSRCP. 

YSRCP Rajyasabha MP Vijaysai Reddy congratulates Jagan Mohan Reddy after results.

But TDP trounced YSRCP and Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister and also TDP's alliance with Narendra Modi - BJP helped.

Factors wherein Jagan and his YSRCP did extremely well in 2019

Right from 2014, the politics in Andhra Pradesh is dominated only by two parties- TDP and YSRCP.  It continued in 2019 and where did the "seasoned'' and "seniormost politician'' as he calls himself Chandrababu Naidu go wrong.

"From 2014 till we broke our alliance with the BJP, YS Jaganmohan Reddy was only our political enemy. But we made unnecessary enemies especially out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao,'' said Lanka Dinakar, the TDP official spokesperson.

"Another biggest blunder was teaming up with the Congress party. Our party was born out of the opposition of Congress party and they were always our prime political adversary and people of Andhra Pradesh, we are still bitter about Congress for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. By teaming up with the Congress we made a terrible mistake," Dinakar added.

 After tasting bitter defeat in 2014 elections and when the number of MLAs switched over to TDP, Jagan changed track and formulated better strategies. 

His "Padayatra" wherein he walked 3468 km across length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh from November 2017 to January 2019 was one giant leap towards reaching the Chief Minister's chair. His padayatra was a huge success wherein people thronged to see and hear him. YSRCP supporters locally and from abroad helped him in getting closer to people.

One of Jagan supporter K Lokesh Reddy came as far from Melbourne in Australia and met him along with 17 of his friends from Australia stayed in Andhra Pradesh for three months from starting January 10 this year. 

"Jagan Anna ( as he is popularly called by his supporters ) made a sincere effort through his Padayatra to convince people that they can completely trust him and he will genuinely solve their issues,'' informs Lokesh Reddy, who is busy in party's celebrations in Vijayawada. 

"People were fed up with Naidu and his false promises and saw through his lies especially on the Special Category Status issue. We ( YSRCP ) released our manifesto with just two pages wherein we have promised what we can deliver and the people were convinced," said Lokesh.

Though YSRCP won with huge numbers both in Assembly and Parliament, Jagan's road ahead as Chief Minister will not be smooth according to political analysts. 

"The Andhra Pradesh economy is in shambles and Jagan has to walk on a tight rope on many fronts to live up to the voters' expectations,'' said PL Vishweshwara Rao, former Dean, Department of Communication & Journalism, Osmania University.

Andhra Pradesh politics in the next five years- will be keenly watched and surely, as seen in many Telugu potboilers, there will be a lot of action.