Poor infra, debts: How Jagan lost grip over Andhra Pradesh
His party’s tally took a nosedive from 151 out of 175 assembly seats in 2019 to just 11 seats in the 2024 state elections.
“I am shocked. I fail to understand what had happened to the love and affection showered by 53 lakh mothers who had received ₹15,000 per year each under the Amma Vodi scheme, one crore self-help group women who received financial assistance under the Cheyutha scheme, 66 lakh old age people who were given enhanced pension at their doorsteps. Why haven’t they voted for our party?”
This was the first reaction of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy before the media as his party’s tally took a nosedive from 151 out of 175 assembly seats in 2019 to just 11 seats in the 2024 state elections.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which contested the assembly polls in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jana Sena Party, won 135 seats. While the BJP won eight, the Jana Sena Party won 21.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the alliance won 21 of the 25 seats. The remaining were secured by the YSRCP.
Also Read | How Naidu’s triumphant return to power in Andhra Pradesh was scripted by Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party
There is little doubt that Jagan implemented a robust welfare agenda – part of his “Nava Ratnalu” (nine jewels), making nine major promises to the people before the 2019 elections. He ensured that money was credited directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries of various schemes at the click of a button.
According to official figures, ₹2,54,894 crore was credited into the accounts of beneficiaries of as many as 29 various direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes between June 2019 to January 2024. Besides, ₹1,70,873 crore was spent on various non-DBT schemes, which include loans, scholarships, house sites, PDS rice, power subsidy and distribution of tabs to students.
But, at the same time, Jagan appeared to neglect the rest of the state administration. His overemphasis on DBT schemes, and his lack of effort in upgrading basic infrastructure facilities, ensuring industrial development, and providing employment-generation programmes, and inability to stem inflation, led to disenchantment among the people over the last five years, according to leaders, analysts, and people on the ground. His targeting of Naidu, who was arrested on September 9 in connection with a ₹371 crore skill development corporation scam, was the final nail.
Also Read | Jagan Mohan Reddy concedes defeat, says party will become 'voice of voiceless'
Senior journalist and political analyst K V Sailendra said anti-incumbency had built up at the grassroots level silently in the last three years due to various reasons. “The people saw indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources like sand and minerals, besides encroachment of lands by YSRCP leaders. In the name of distribution of house sites for the poor, the government acquired precious lands of the farmers,” he said.
A steep rise in liquor prices was another reason behind the party’s poll debacle, Sailendra said. “The poor people, who were benefiting from the welfare schemes, were also angry because of the abnormal increase in liquor prices,” he said.
While Jagan indulged in heavy borrowing – a statement made by the chief minister during the budget session in February said the total debt outstanding increased from ₹4,12,288 crore in 2019 to ₹7,03,000 crore till date – from all available sources to fund the welfare schemes, he did not pay heed to infrastructure promises such as the pending Polavaram irrigation project on the Godavari for seven lakh hectares of farmland.
In his quest to create three capital cities for the state – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati – he is also criticised for abandoning Amaravati, leading to unrest among the locals. The farmers, who gave away 34,000 acres of land for the Amaravati capital, are fighting a battle in the Supreme Court against the creation of the three capitals.
All this, when coupled with delayed salaries for state government workers, ignoring their demand to bring back the old pension scheme, and the implementation of pay revision commission recommendations on their wage revisions, made the rank and file of the state machinery go against him. According to poll data, it appears that government employees and teachers showed their discontent by voting against the YSRCP through postal ballots.
During voting on May 13, a record number of 539,189 postal ballot votes were polled in the state by state government employees, including those who were deployed on election duty, people aware of the details said.
The decision of the Jagan government to bring in the Land Titling Act – directing everyone owning land or immovable property to register their assets with government agencies for a permanent title – weeks before the announcement of elections appeared to be the last nail. It led to an apprehension among farmers that the government would take away their land if they had no clear title. The apprehensions were exploited by the TDP, which promised to do away with the act if voted to power.
Naidu’s arrest by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in September at Nandyal for his alleged involvement in a purported scam in the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation during the TDP rule from 2014 to 2019 helped him garner sympathy and brought his party and the Jana Sena Party, headed by Pawan Kalyan, together. Pawan, who called on Naidu in jail, announced that his party would join hands with the TDP to pull down the Jagan government.
“Since Kapus were also keen on pulling down the Jagan government, they set aside the rivalry and joined hands with Kammas for the first time in the last six decades,” said veteran journalist from Vijayawada, Kollu Anka Babu, adding that the Kamma-Kapu combination dealt a severe blow to the YSRCP.
Jagan, 51, out of power and options, now faces an uncertain future.