The brewing discontent in the ruling YSR Congress Party (YRSCP) augurs well for the prospects of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, where it is gearing up for a fresh innings this election season.
As Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy sets on the task of rejigging his party, naming 38 new coordinators for the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats, voices of protest by party leaders erupt criticising the weeding out exercise based on a survey report.
The Congress party leaders are happy about the timing of the crucial entry of Y.S. Sharmila when the State is witnessing an anti-incumbency wave. Though it is not yet clear what role will Ms. Sharmila be given in the party, there is unanimity among the party leaders that she will be the star campaigner in the Andhra Pradesh elections.
“The mood is indeed buyout here. What seemed like a Herculean task a few months ago, seems feasible now, thanks to the existing favourable circumstances in the State. We are already in talks with a few potential leaders who are ready to make the switch,” Congress Working Committee (CWC) member N. Raghuveera Reddy told The Hindu on January 6 (Saturday).
Pointing to the fact that in the 2019 elections, the YSRCP had bagged 151 Assembly seats and 22 Lok Sabha seats as against the TDP’s 23 and 3 respectively, he said the Congress had drawn a blank in both polls.
“After the party’s victory in Karnataka and Telangana, we are looking to regain the lost ground in Andhra Pradesh, and the climate seems conducive for it,” he said.
The good tidings for the party have also started reflecting in the social media platforms. State Congress social media wing chief Rakesh Kotti said the party’s social media space has also been gaining traction for the past month, particularly after Ms. Sharmila officially joined the party.
In its State-level executive meeting, scheduled to be held in Vijayawada on January 10, the party is likely to take crucial decisions. The meeting will be attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Manickam Tagore and other senior leaders.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gidugu Rudra Raju hinted that the party would witness a good number of new entries after January 10.
“We are hopeful that the number of leaders returning to the Congress fold will increase, as Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy stands exposed today for his autocratic style of functioning,” he said.
“With the ruling party rebels going hammer and tongs about how development has paralysed in the State under the YSRCP misrule, and people suffocating under Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tyranny, we don’t have much to do to convince them that Congress alone has answers to their existing problems,” said AICC leader Kolanukonda Sivaji.
