This is an archive article published on January 10, 2019
Jagan completes 3,648 km padayatra in 341 days, meets over 2 crore people
Jagan Reddy embarked on the foot march on November 6, 2017, from his late father Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy’s native village Idupalapaya in YSR Kadapa district, and walked 3,648 kms through 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh in 341 days.
Jagan addressed over 100 public meetings during the yatra in which he mostly spoke about the failures of the TDP regime and its failure to implement the farm loan waiver which Chandrababu Naidu promised ahead of 2014 elections. (Source: File)
The longest ‘padayatra’ by any politician in the country, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s walkathon of 3,648 km in 341 days, concluded today at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district, near the Odisha border.
Jagan Reddy, who is popularly known as Jagan, embarked on the foot march on November 6, 2017, from his late father Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy’s native village Idupalapaya in YSR Kadapa district, and walked 3,648 kms through 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh in 341 days. In doing so, he beat his father’s record of covering 1,500 km in two months, which swept him to power to in 2004 elections.
In 2012, N Chandrababu Naidu had embarked on a similar padayatra and covered nearly 2,000 kms in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
“Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Praja Sankalpa Yatra was as the longest padayatra by any politician in India. We think that it is a game changer in the coming elections. During this epic padayatra of 3,648 kms, Jagan interacted with over two crore people from various sections of the society. He has covered a lot of ground and it has translated into overwhelming support for Jagan and the party,” YSRCP National General Secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy said today.
Jagan’s late father Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy, a senior Congress leader, had embarked on a ‘padayatra’ in April 2003 through several areas of undivided Andhra Pradesh to highlight the failures of the then TDP government which was headed by N Chandrababu Naidu.
YSRCP leaders today likened YSR’s padayatra with his son Jagan’s padayatra today and said that it would change the balance of power in AP in the coming elections.
“Jagan walked anywhere between 15 to 30 kms daily since November 2017. He shook hands and interacted with everyone he met along the way. Every Friday, he returned to Hyderabad to attend proceedings in the CBI court in the quid pro quo case,” said a party leader. During his last leg of the padayatra, Jagan suffered a bleeding cut when a restaurant attender at Visakhapatnam airport slashed him with a small knife used in bird fights on October 25.
Story continues below this ad
Jagan addressed over 100 public meetings during the yatra in which he mostly spoke about the failures of the TDP regime and its failure to implement the farm loan waiver which Chandrababu Naidu promised ahead of 2014 elections; failure to fight for Special Category Status to AP; pending DWCRA loans and housing schemes.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
Jagan addressed over 100 public meetings during the yatra in which he mostly spoke about the failures of the TDP regime and its failure to implement the farm loan waiver which Chandrababu Naidu promised ahead of 2014 elections. (Source: File)
