YSR's son rises in Andhra Pradesh

OR

Reddy sweeps Andhra elections; to be sworn in as CM

By Gali Nagaraja

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) leader, N. Chandrababu Naidu's hopes of playing kingmaker in New Delhi turned to dust once the poll results started to come in on May 23.

His rival, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) party's resounding victory in the 2019 general elections brought Naidu's plans to a grounding halt. Despite Naidu's four decades of political experience and 14 years as the CM in AP, he faced defeat in the state.The TDP chief had hoped to call the shots in national politics, as a regional satrap, as he had previously done in the role of convenor of the United Front in 1996-98.

It is interesting to note that in 2004, Naidu's defeat at the hands of Reddy's father, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR) had sent him into political hibernation. An astute and shrewd politician, Naidu failed to pay heed to ground realities in AP. His poll strategy relied heavily on whipping up an anti-Modi sentiment against the NDA in his home state. He had also announced his plan to launch a non-BJP Mahagattbandan of regional parties with the Congress at the helm. Naidu and the TDP were expecting a fractured verdict from the recently concluded elections and a subsequent hung parliament.

Naidu had meticulously cleared the decks for his son and IT Minister, Nara Lokesh to succeed him in state politics, expecting to play a role at the Centre. Lokesh, who became a minister in his father’s cabinet through the State Legislative Council was fielded in Mangalagiri assembly to legitimise his political entry.

Nara Lokesh lost his maiden electoral battle from Mangalagiri assembly constituency to YSR Congress' sitting MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy by a margin of 5,337 votes.

When Congress gave up its claim to the Prime Minister's post, Naidu emerged as a choice of regional parties along with West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. However, the poll outcome proved him wrong, giving a decisive victory to Reddy’s party.

YSRC’s tally is expected to touch 150 in the 175-member state assembly, but they outdid what exit poll surveys predicted. The surveys predicted 130 seats for YSRC. Naidu had fought against Reddy and won in the 2014 elections to become the CM in AP. He succeeded with a slender vote margin of 1.78 per cent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, film actor and Jana Sena leader, Pawan Kalyan's involvement had helped Naidu scrape through the elections as alliance partners in 2014.

Before turning bitter rivals, Naidu and YSR had once worked together as part of the Congress party in the late 1970s and early 1980s. There were several power struggles between the duo after Naidu joined TDP, a party floated by his father-in-law, N.T. Rama Rao (NTR). Naidu locked horns with YSR and managed to win the elections in 1999 with the support of the BJP. After the BJP fell out with TDP, Naidu faced defeat at the hands of YSR in 2004.

Reddy created history by surpassing the record set by his father. YSR by winning 32 out of 42 parliament seats in the undivided AP in 2004. As trends indicate in the 2019 elections, Reddy is likely to stop short of winning all 25 seats, forcing the ruling TDP to draw a blank.

The trends trickling in till late at night on May 23 indicated that YSRC may fetch an 8-10 per cent higher vote share than TDP. Naidu strenuously built a narrative around an urban-centric agenda with a 'world-class' capital in Amaravati, with the Polavaram Irrigation Project. In the process, the backward regions of Rayalaseema and Uttarandra, and the agriculture distress facing the state got sidelined.

Naidu, 69, had portrayed Reddy, 47, as a brash leader with no administrative skills. Yet, voters in the state preferred a greenhorn with unconventional traits over a seasoned politician. As Naidu resigns from the CM's office, preparations are in full-swing for Reddy's swearing in on May 30.