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Andhra elections: YSRCP, TDP-led NDA to lock horns in double battle
Though several sitting legislators have exited his party in the past few months, Jagan sounded confident of returning to power riding on his welfare-centric governance
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday sounded the poll bugle for the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, where the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led alliance will lock horns for supremacy in a fierce double battle on May 13.
A total of 4.08 crore (40.8 million) electorate — nearly 20 million male, 20.7 million female and 3,482 third gender voters — will elect 175 legislators and 25 Lok Sabha members in the high-stakes polls in the southern state. The results will be declared on June 4, along with those of Lok Sabha polls across the country and assembly polls in three other states.
Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, who heads the YSRCP, is eyeing a repeat of his party’s stellar performance in 2019 polls, when it won 151 assembly and 22 Lok Sabha seats, his bête noire N Chandrababu Naidu, who has joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and actor Pawan Kalyan-led JanaSena Party, is leaving no stone unturned to stop the Jagan bandwagon.
The assembly polls are being seen as an acid test to the popularity and image of Jagan, who over the past few years has emerged as one of the most powerful political players down south, whose party bagged a massive 50.6% vote share five years ago. The YSRCP on Saturday announced the list of candidates for all the 175 assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies, coinciding with the date of the election notification announcement by the ECI. Jagan will contest from Pulivendula assembly constituency.
Though several sitting legislators have exited his party in the past few months, Jagan sounded confident of returning to power riding on his welfare-centric governance. The YSRCP chief, who has held four massive political meetings recently, has coined a phrase “why not 175”, claiming his party will “sweep” the assembly polls. “Like a lion, we shall fight the elections alone. We are ‘Siddham’ (ready) for the May 13 battle,” Jagan said on Saturday.
On the other hand, things have been rather shaky for Naidu, personally and his party, the TDP, in the past few years. The TDP, which could garner 39.7% vote share in the state polls five years ago, was restricted to just 23 assembly seats and three Lok Sabha constituencies in 2019, in a major embarrassment for Naidu, one of the tallest leaders in the state.
The TDP has entered into a strategic alliance with the JanaSena Party and the BJP and as part of their seat-sharing agreement, Naidu’s party will contest 144 assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP will contest 10 assembly and six Lok Sabha seats while Pawan Kalyan’s party will contest in 21 assembly and two LS constituencies.
The TDP has already announced 128 candidates while the JanaSena has finalised its candidates for seven assembly seats. The BJP is yet to make any announcement.
Naidu said the countdown for the fall of the Jagan government has begun. “In another 57 days, we are going to send this mad man to his home. Now that the model code of conduct has come into force, people can celebrate and inform everyone about the TDP. There is no need to be afraid that if you speak against the government, you will lose pensions and other schemes. I welcome everyone to come out and save the state,” he said.
The Congress, which has reduced to a political minnow in the state, is also yet to announce its candidates. The party, led by Jagan’s sister YS Sharmila, on Saturday organised a big rally at Visakhapatnam.
