YS Jagan Emerges As Showstopper In 2019 Elections

Amaravati: The Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy family or more popularly known as the YSR family , has become a formidable force to reckon with over the past fifteen years in the newly formed state of Andhra Pradesh. During his lifetime, Dr. YSR held sway over the undivided state.

With the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) formed by the former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy's son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in March 2011, they have taken the forefront of Andhra Pradesh politics as being the largest opposition party since the new state was formed.

Not only has the YSRCP taken the centre stage of Andhra Pradesh politics, they have also created ripples in national politics when the party won 7 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in 2014.

In 2018, five of the YSRCP MPs resigned from the Lok Sabha in protest against the Centres apathy towards granting Special Category Status to the state and challenged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs to do the same, if they were really committed to the SCS for Andhra Pradesh.

In the era of identity or dynasty politics YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy the President of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has become the face of YSRCP, while N Chandrababu Naidu stakes his claim to be carrying forward the political legacy of the founder of the TDP, former Chief Minister late NT Rama Rao.

Chandrababu is the son-in-law of the NTR and who has a history of sidelining his father-in-law culminating in the in- famous Viceroy Hotel incident where NTR was ill treated by his own party members.

NTR had expelled a few MLAs from his party and without his knowledge Chandrababu had started horse trading NTR’s MLAs behind his back while the great actor turned politician was unaware of his treachery. Chandrababu Naidu managed to manipulate and hold the MLAs in the Viceroy Hotel of Hyderabad.

When NTR was to prove his strength with the Governor, he was stunned to see that he had the support of only 28 MLAs. When NTR went along with his supporters to request his MLAs to return back, he faced a bitter incident of footwear thrown at him by Chandrababu's MLAs.

Chandrababu Naidu took over as the party president, formed the government and the rest is a part of the political history of the TDP.

In the case of YS Jagan, he quit the Congress to float a party to continue his father's legacy and made his electoral debut in 2009 when his father Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy led the Congress to power for the second term in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

YS Jagan who was at a young entrepreneur was elected from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, defeating his nearest rival P Srikanth Reddy of TDP by a whopping margin of 1.78 lakh votes.

The untimely death of his father in a helicopter crash in September 2009 had plunged the state into political chaos. The Congress leadership chose the Finance Minister K. Rosaiah as his successor to which YS Jagan agreed wholeheartedly.

But when he decided to embark on an "Odarpu Yatra" to console the families of those who died of shock ( some even committed suicide) on hearing the news about his father's death he was ordered by the party Congress High Command not to. But he defied the party leadership and went ahead.

This led to a major dissidence in the ruling party camp, where YS Jagan's uncle late YS Vivekananda Reddy was inducted into the state cabinet. Annoyed over what he called attempts by the Congress to create division in the family YS, Jagan quit the party and resigned from the Lok Sabha.

His mother Y.S. Vijayamma also resigned as MLA from Pulivendula, from where she was declared elected unopposed following YSR's death.

YS Jagan launched Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party in 2011 and within three months, he was re-elected from Kadapa in the by-election with a record majority of over 5.43 lakh votes.

YS Vijayalaxmi also won from Pulivendula, defeating her brother-in-law YS Vivekananda Reddy of the Congress by a margin of over 85,000 votes. The margin of victory in both the constituencies bettered the record held by YSR.

Till then, the YSR family had won Kadapa and Pulivendula pocket boroughs for 6 and 10 times, respectively on a Congress ticket. But in 2011, the family retained its hold under the YSRCP banner.

After a series of turmoil in his life post his arrest , YS Jagan contested and won from his home ground Pulivendula as an MLA though his mother lost the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 elections.

Though the TDP came to power but the YSRCP became the second biggest opposition in state politics, bagging 67 seats in the 175-member Assembly recording the name in the Andhra Pradesh political map.

In the Elections 2019 YS Jagan is contesting again from Pulivendula, his cousin Avinash Reddy is seeking re-election from Kadapa and his maternal uncle, P Ravindranath Reddy is contesting from the Kamalapuram Assembly in YSR Kadapa district.

Ever since the election campaigns have taken off, National Channels are evincing keen interest in his political campaigns and are prophesising that he will play a key role in the National level politics.

For a regional party leader from Andhra Pradesh to get such huge response is generating interest among the political analysts and circles. With just four days left for simultaneous elections for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state, YS Jagan, as the leader is popularly known, told a television channel that he has forgiven the Congress, in which he was till 2011.

"I believe in God. I pray to God. I read the Bible every day. Vengeance is not for me. I am forgiving and I have forgiven," he said. But YS Jagan, who foresees a hung Parliament, has been saying that he will back any party or parties wanting to form the government provided they promise to confer special status to the state.

Also Read: YS Jagan Will Be A Powerful Force To Reckon With : Analysts