The YSRCP has secured only 10 seats and is leading in one more, falling short of the 18 seats needed for Opposition status. This outcome significantly strengthens Mr. Naidu’s position within the NDA.
Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan congratulated TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu at the JSP office near Mangalagiri in Guntur district on Tuesday, celebrating the NDA alliance’s impressive performance in the general elections.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the national president of the Telugu Desam Party, is poised to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time, having delivered a resounding defeat to Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party in the Assembly election held concurrently with the general election in the state.
The TDP, now a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) along with the State’s Jana Sena Party (JSP), has secured 135 seats. The JSP, led by Pawan Kalyan, has contributed significantly by winning 21 seats, while the BJP has emerged victorious in eight seats.
In contrast, the YSRCP has won 10 seats and is leading in one more seat as of 12.30 a.m. on June 5. It may end up with only around 10 seats, which would not even grant it the status of an Opposition party in the Assembly, as the minimum requirement is 18 seats.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the TDP contested in 144 out of 175 seats, while the JSP and BJP contested in 21 and 10 seats respectively.
Mr. Reddy is facing a major setback after his landslide victory in the 2019 election, where he secured 151 out of 175 seats, leaving the TDP with only 23 seats.
For Mr. Naidu, Tuesday’s result marks a significant comeback, especially considering his arrest in September last year by the State police’s CID for alleged involvement in the Skill Development scam. Mr. Naidu had previously served as the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh for two terms from 1995 to 2004 and was also the first CM of the residual Andhra Pradesh after its bifurcation in 2014.
It is evident from the outcomes that a significant anti-incumbency wave led to the defeat of Mr. Reddy, despite his successful implementation of numerous welfare schemes during his term.
The anti-incumbency wave was so substantial that several key Ministers in Mr. Reddy’s Cabinet, including Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao of Srikakulam, Fisheries Minister Seediri Appalaraju of Palasa, Deputy Speaker Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy in Vizianagaram, Speaker Tamineni Sitaram of Amadalavalasa, IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath in Gajuwaka, Home Minister Taneti Vanitha from Gopalapuram, Health Minister Vidala Rajini from Guntur (west), Housing Minister Jogi Ramesh from Penamaluru, Irrigation Minister Ambati Rambabu from Sattenapalli, Tourism Minister R.K. Roja from Nagari, and Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana in Cheepurupalli faced significant defeats.
Even the party’s second-in-command and former MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, who contested the Lok Sabha seat from Nellore, suffered a major loss to TDP’s Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy.
The NDA dominated coastal A.P. and Uttarandhra (northern Andhra), while the YSRCP only managed to secure a few seats across Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra. According to Election Commission data, the YSRCP is projected to win only three seats along the coast from Srikakulam to Nellore.
Analysts suggest that Mr. Reddy, who heavily relied on his welfare schemes, could not compete with the NDA, as Mr. Naidu and Mr. Kalyan vigorously campaigned for a development model that integrated welfare schemes.
Issues such as inadequate development, local governance, and unemployment were crucial factors that reportedly contributed to the decline of the YSRCP.
The TDP and JSP criticized the YSRCP government for failing to create job opportunities for the youth, and for the lack of progress in industrial development, apart from the promotion of the volunteer system.
Mr. Naidu and Mr. Kalyan successfully presented a development plan involving industrialization that would create job opportunities for the younger generation. Both Mr. Naidu and Mr. Pawan expressed their belief that forming an alliance with the BJP at the national level would lead to a significant boost in economic growth within the State.
Moreover, the voters seemed to be convinced that Mr. Reddy’s emphasis on welfare programs was merely a tactic to secure his position, ultimately leading the State into a burdensome debt situation.