TDP cadre at the victory celebrations at Kalikiri in Annamayya district of the Rayalaseema region.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in alliance with its NDA partners, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP), achieved a remarkable feat by securing the highest number of Assembly seats in the Rayalaseema region — comprising the undivided districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, and Anantapur, plus three Assembly constituencies of Venkatagiri, Sullurupeta, and Gudur, which joined the region from the Nellore district.
This victory marked a significant milestone in the party’s 40-year-long history, as it independently clinched 42 Assembly seats for the first time. The electoral landscape in Rayalaseema flipped as the NDA dominated the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha seats, supplanting the lone rival YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the yesteryear political giant Congress.
The Congress remained a formidable force in the Rayalaseema region for several decades since Independence, until the formation of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh in 2014. In the 70-year history of the region’s elections, an alliance emerged triumphant, shattering long-standing political dynamics.
Political history
Reflecting on the electoral history in Rayalaseema, the 1983 elections were pivotal as the TDP secured a staggering 41 out of 52 Assembly seats across the four districts, while the then-ruling Congress managed to clinch only 8 seats. In the subsequent 1985 by-elections, TDP maintained 37 seats, while the Congress gained 15 seats. However, in the 1989 elections, TDP’s count dwindled to 12 seats, while the Congress surged ahead with 38 seats.
The electoral tussle continued as the years unfolded. In 1994, TDP reclaimed its dominance by securing 42 out of 52 Assembly seats, causing the Congress to lose 10 seats. Subsequent elections in 1999, 2004, and 2009 witnessed fluctuating fortunes for both the TDP and Congress, with varying seat counts in each election.
The landscape shifted once again when the YSRCP emerged in 2011, and solidified its grip on the region securing significant victories in the 2012 by-elections and consecutive elections in 2014 and 2019.
In the latest electoral contest, the TDP’s candidates emerged victorious in a staggering 42 out of 55 assembly constituencies, spanning all the districts of Rayalaseema. The alliance of the TDP-BJP-JSP collectively secured 48 seats out of 55, while the YSRCP was limited to merely 7 seats in these elections.
Meanwhile, the Rayalaseema region also became a testing ground for the electoral fortunes of various regional parties, such as the Praja Rajyam Party and the Samaikyandhra Party, which had no luck in the previous elections.
