Claiming that the changing political equations in Andhra Pradesh and the release of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu from prison on bail in the skill development scam case will not have any bearing on its prospects, the YSR Congress Patry (YSRCP) says that it is confident of its victory in the Assembly elections due in 2024.
The YSRCP feels that the TDP-JSP combine would not be able to make a dent on its vote share. More so, it is of the view that the minority votes will consolidate in its favour if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joins the TDP-JSP combine.
“The arrest of Mr. Naidu has sent a message to the people that he is no holy cow. His arrest and release from prison will not have any bearing on our prospects. The YSRCP will get at least 60% of votes in the 2024 elections. In pockets where the TDP is strong, the sympathy factor might work in their favour. But overall, the YSRCP has positive prospects across the State,” YSRCP State general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy told The Hindu on November 22 (Wednesday).
Asserting that the YSRCP saw no leverage for it with the arrest of Mr. Naidu, he said, “Short-term political gains and vindictive decisions are characteristics of Mr. Naidu while Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stresses credibility. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy wants to tell the people the facts and we have succeeded in this regard. We have consolidated the positive votes.”
Had the YSRCP been keen on taking political mileage out of the arrest of Mr. Naidu, it would have been done soon after coming to power. “However, the government waited until concrete evidence was collected. The people know that the arrest of Mr. Naidu is not a vindictive move,” he said.
Explaining further, he said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy never believed in making promises that could not be delivered or that were impractical. “There were suggestions to make a promise to waive farm loans before the 2014 elections but he (Mr. Jagan) was reluctant as it was impractical. The TDP, on the other hand, had promised it and failed to deliver. This is what makes Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy different from Mr. Naidu,” he said.
Asked about alliances, Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy said that the YSRCP contested alone in 2019 and won 151 seats. “The popular support of the YSRCP has increased since then as Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy is meeting the expectations of people. The people’s aspirations is changing. The muscle and money power do not work any more. We are extending benefits worth ₹2.4 lakh crore through the DBT scheme and this shows the transparency in our governance,’‘ he said.
The YSRCP leader said that no leader in the opposition parties could match the “charishma of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy”.
“Had Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan decided to contest alone, he would have some chances. Now, he has lost that opportunity,” he observed.
He further said that various factors might play a role by the time elections were round the corner. “Even then, the YSRCP will certainly get 60% of the votes. If over 50% of the votes are polled in favour of the YSRCP, what impact would any alliance have?” he asked.
Answering a question, Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy said that it would benefit the YSRCP if the BJP joined the TDP-JSP combine. “The minority votes will be consolidated in our favour,” he said.
He said that there was no truth in the allegations that the YSRCP was targeting BJP State president Daggubati Purandeswari. “Ms. Purandesewari is raising manufactured issues and they are nothing but the ones earlier taken up by the TDP and JSP separately. In a way, the BJP turned out to be the mouthpiece of Mr. Naidu. The YSRCP is merely placing the facts before the public,” he added.
