Representational image only
| Photo Credit: G. N. Rao
The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party(YSRCP) ranks in the Rayalaseema districts were deeply disappointed by the results of the general elections. Not winning a single seat in the combined Anantapur district, losing most seats to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the combined Kadapa district and only securing one seat each in Chittoor and Kurnool districts led to frustration among the cadres.
The party leaders observed that they solely believed that the welfare schemes would bring them back to power, but in vain. Both senior leaders and newcomers in the region were left in disbelief. The YSRCP had taken many precautions in selecting candidates for the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the Rayalaseema region. However, the high command made changes to the candidates based on various types of surveys.
For instance, out of the 14 Assembly- and two Lok Sabha seats in the combined Anantapur district, seven sitting MLAs were replaced. Changes were also made to both Lok Sabha seats. Talari Rangaiah, who was the MP of Anantapur, was moved to the Kalyanadurgam Assembly seat as part of the party’s “social justice slogan.” The former Minister Ushasree Charan was “transferred” to the Penukonda Assembly constituency, and Sankaranarayana, the sitting MLA there, was selected to run as the MP candidate in Anantapur. These changes were thought to have played a significant role in reducing the minority votes for the YSRCP.
The defeat of Dharmavaram MLA Kethireddi Venkatrami Reddy by the BJP candidate, Sathya Kumar, was hard to accept for the party. Mr. Venkatrami Reddy had gained popularity through his “Good Morning Dharmavaram program,” and the entry of a BJP candidate at the last minute was widely regarded as a questionable decision by the NDA.
A senior YSRCP leader in Rayachoti blamed the party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his “coterie” for relying entirely on a private survey agency in the selection of candidates, neglecting the observations made by local leaders.
In the combined Chittoor district, which was considered the stronghold of the then Minister for Mines and Forests, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, the YSRCP’s predictions did not materialise as expected. Apart from the narrow victories of Peddireddy in Punganur and his brother Dwarakanatha Reddy in Tamballapalle, the YSRCP faced defeat in the remaining twelve constituencies.
In Annamayya district, Mr. Peddireddy’s son P. Mithun Reddy won the Rajampeta MP seat with a reduced majority of 80,000 against BJP candidate N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. In 2014 and 2019, Mithun Reddy had secured a majority of more than two lakh votes in the constituency. Interestingly, the Jana Sena candidate in the Railway Kodur Assembly constituency won with a comfortable majority of more than 20,000 votes.
In Rayachoti, the local strongman and Jagan’s close associate G. Srikanth Reddy was defeated by the TDP candidate in an unexpected turn of events.
Following the defeat, many second and third-rung cadres, who were actively involved in the intense election campaign, chose to remain silent, while several reportedly left their areas to avoid any confrontations with their rivals. Numerous cadres who had previously displayed profile pictures with Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy on social media opted to change them to individual photos without political associations. “I joined the YSRCP as a small worker in 2023. It disgusts me to continue my profile pic along with Mr. Jagan. What happened to his majority of 1.3 lakh plus votes in Pulivendula in 2019? His majority of votes was cut down by more than half this time. Something is seriously wrong in our party,” a 22-year-old B. Tech graduate in Madanapalle of Annamayya district observed.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a youth leader of YSRCP in Chittoor stated, “We anticipate retaliation from the TDP and the Jana Sena cadres after Mr. Naidu’s swearing-in ceremony. Our immediate approach now is to maintain silence. The issue only affects those who had gone beyond the limits in our party,” he said.
