Tide turns for Chandrababu Naidu as TDP-led alliance set for big win in Andhra

His party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections will also make him an important player nationally at a time when the BJP looks unlikely to cross the majority mark by itself for the Lok Sabha.

Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSRCP, which had won the 2019 Assembly polls by a landslide with 151 seats, is currently leading in only 10, with most of its ministers trailing. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, however, was leading in Pulivendula.

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The TDP, which had won only 23 seats last time, is currently leading in 136 seats on its own. Its ally Jana Sena Party, which only had one seat last time, is now leading in all 21 seats it contested. The BJP, which is also part of the alliance, is leading in eight of the 10 seats it fought from. TDP’s Naidu is leading in Kuppam, while JSP chief K Pawan Kalyan is leading in Pithapuram.

The headquarters of the ruling YSRCP at Tadepalle wore a deserted look Tuesday after the supporters who had gathered there gradually left as the trends came in.

Except for Prakasam district, where the YSRCP was leading in eight of the 12 Assembly seats, the TDP was dominating in all the remaining districts, including the 34 seats in East Godavari and West Godavari districts combined, and 52 seats in the Rayalaseema region.

By afternoon, TDP-BJP-JSP cadres and supporters started celebrations across the state, taking to the streets and bursting crackers.

While initial trends had indicated a fight between YSRCP and TDP in rural constituencies, the tide eventually turned in favour of the TDP-led alliance as the counting progressed.

Several YSRCP candidates and supporters said CM Jagan’s electoral focus being solely on welfare schemes was what brought the party down. However, political observers also pointed to the arrest of Naidu, the lack of new projects or industries coming up in the state during the YSRCP regime, and general anti-incumbency against the ruling party.

While the YSRCP had seemed to be on strong ground until March, the TDP and JSP, who had been strengthening their grassroots in the background, got a boost when the BJP joined their alliance just as the elections were announced.

While Naidu was arrested on September 9 last year, it seemed to have helped his party with a general feeling among the public that it showed the highhandedness of Jagan.