Naidu’s TDP leads NDA’s decimation of YSRCP in Andhra, reduces Jagan to 11 Assembly and 4 LS seats

The anti-incumbency was evident in the results as Jagan was the only Cabinet member who managed to retain his seat in Pulivendla even as 26 of his ministers tasted defeat.

In Kuppam, TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu secured a comfortable victory while Kalyan defeated sitting Kakinada MP Vanga Geetha by over 70,000 votes. Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who is credited with reviving the party with his Yuva Galam padyatra, won the Mangalagiri seat, which he had lost in 2019.

In the Amalapuram Lok Sabha seat, G Harish Balayogi, the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi, defeated nearest rival Rapaka Varaprasada Rao of the YSRCP while K Ram Mohan Naidu retained his Srikakulam seat. In the battle of siblings in Vijayawada, Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) trumped his older brother Kesineni Srinivas (Nani).

The YSRCP headquarters in Tadepalle on the outskirts of VIjayawada wore a deserted look as supporters who had gathered there began to leave gradually as the trends started trickling in and showed the TDP’s dominance in all districts. The party secured leads in 42 of the 54 Assembly segments in the Rayalaseema region, seen to be a bastion of the YSRCP.

On the other hand, NDA cadres and supporters broke out into celebrations, taking to the streets and bursting crackers. Naidu, who arrived at the TDP headquarters in Mangalagiri in the evening, received a rapturous welcome.

Late in the evening, Jagan conceded defeat and said the results came as a surprise. “My government gave funds to mothers to encourage them to keep kids in schools. We took care of lakhs of elderly and physically disabled people but they too appear to have ditched us. I have implemented the manifesto and poll promises like no one has ever before. We have tried to empower women and ensure social justice. In spite of giving so many benefits to crores of people, we have been reduced to this. I do not know what happened, only God knows. I will always be there to do good for the people, be a voice for the voiceless and will remain in touch with the poor and needy. I congratulate Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan,” he said in a statement.

Even as YSRCP insiders attributed the crushing defeat to Jagan’s excessive focus on welfare schemes and neglect of governance, political observers pointed out that Naidu’s arrest (in September last year), the lack of industries and investments brought to the state during Jagan’s tenure led to his downfall.

The TDP and JSP, which had announced an alliance, following the TDP chief’s arrest and had been working towards strengthening their grassroots connections, received a boost when the BJP joined their alliance earlier this year. Naidu’s arrest also seemed to generate sympathy among the people and showcased Jagan’s “high-handedness”.

Meanwhile, the BJP also put up a good show in the state. While it contested the 2019 polls alone and drew a blank, it won three Lok Sabha seats – Rajahmundry (D Purandeswari), Anakapalle (C M Ramesh) and Narasapuram (B J P Varma) – with handsome margins. The JSP won both the seats it contested – Kakinada (T Uday Srinivas) and Machilipatnam (Vallabhaneni Balashowry).

Y S Sharmila, the Andhra Congress chief, who took on her cousin Y S Avinash Reddy of the YSRCP in Kadapa came in third after the YSRCP and C Bhupesh Reddy of the TDP, securing just over 1.36 lakh votes.