Will CM Naidu Intensify His Campaign Against Jagan in Pulivendula Following By-Poll Victory?

Amaravati, Aug 17 (NationPress) Energized by the Telugu Desam Party's decisive victory in the by-elections for two ZPTC seats within the home constituency of Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is poised to intensify his opposition against him in the YSR family's long-standing stronghold.

Four years prior, it was Jagan Mohan Reddy who significantly challenged TDP president and Chief Minister Naidu in Kuppam, emerging victorious in both rural and urban local body elections. The recent by-election results in two Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) indicate that CM Naidu has effectively brought the fight to Jagan's own territory.

Over a year after regaining power from YSRCP alongside its partners Jana Sena and BJP, TDP has made a substantial impact in Jagan's domain by capturing Pulivendula and Ontimitta ZPTCs from YSRCP.

Political analysts suggest that this outcome has triggered alarm bells within the YSRCP camp, especially with local body elections approaching next year.

Pulivendula, located in YSR Kadapa district, has been a bastion of the YSR family for almost fifty years.

Since 1978, when Jagan's father and former Chief Minister Y. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) won here, the family has never lost an election in Pulivendula.

Despite the TDP-led alliance's impressive victory last year with 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly, Pulivendula was one of the 11 seats that YSRCP managed to retain.

The importance of the ZPTC by-elections is underscored by the fact that this was the first contest for Pulivendula ZPTC in three decades. Before the elections, the TDP aimed to depict this event as a “restoration of democracy.”

While these were local body by-elections, they created an atmosphere akin to Assembly polls, with several TDP ministers and senior leaders actively campaigning. Jagan, too, mobilized key figures, including Kadapa MP and his cousin Y. S. Avinash Reddy, to maintain his political influence in the home district.

The intense campaigning led to tensions and confrontations between the opposing factions. Prior to the elections, Jagan accused CM Naidu of plotting to manipulate the results through police and State Election Commission misuses.

The TDP nominated Latha Reddy, spouse of former MLC and TDP's Pulivendula constituency in-charge, Mareddy Ravindranath Reddy, also known as BTech Ravi.

In Pulivendula, TDP candidate Latha Reddy triumphed over YSRCP's Hemanth Reddy by a margin of 6,035 votes, garnering 6,716 votes while the YSRCP candidate only secured 683 votes and forfeited their deposit.

The TDP also secured the Ontimitta ZPTC seat by a margin of 6,267 votes, with TDP's Muddu Krishna Reddy polling 12,780 votes compared to YSRCP’s Iragamreddy Subbareddy, who received 6,513 votes.

Allegations of significant irregularities and misuse of election processes made by YSRCP mirror the accusations TDP raised back in 2021 following their own defeats in urban and local body elections in Naidu’s constituency, Kuppam.

In November 2021, the TDP faced considerable embarrassment with a significant loss in the Kuppam Municipality election, where YSRCP won 19 out of 25 wards.

This loss in Kuppam Municipality was compounded by the TDP losing gram panchayats, MPTC, and ZPTC elections in Naidu’s constituency.

This marked the first defeat for the TDP in Kuppam, a stronghold for Chandrababu Naidu, who has represented the constituency in the Assembly since 1989.

Despite the fierce rivalry between YSR and TDP chief Naidu, the Congress leader never engaged in the kinds of tactics Jagan employed in 2021.

Following victories in local body polls, Jagan had aspirations to reclaim the Kuppam Assembly seat in subsequent elections, rallying YSRCP supporters under the slogan “why not 175” to encourage them to aim for all 175 Assembly seats.

Although Jagan campaigned in Kuppam and promised a ministerial position for YSRCP candidate KRJ Bharath if elected, he faced a drastic decline, with YSRCP's Assembly representation plummeting from 151 seats in 2019 to just 11.

Upon returning as Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu began focusing on Pulivendula as part of his strategy to counter Jagan. The success in the ZPTC by-elections is perceived as merely the beginning of this campaign.

“Following a successful breach into Jagan's stronghold, the TDP aims to solidify its position with the goal of capturing the Zilla Parishad, which could significantly challenge YSRCP chief's political dominance in Pulivendula,” comments political analyst P. Pavan.

The TDP may also leverage the issue of assigned lands at Idupulapaya, where the YSR family holds property.

In previous allegations, TDP claimed that the YSR family had been utilizing 700 acres of assigned lands (intended for the landless poor) for years. TDP representatives assert that YSR, while serving as Chief Minister of the unified State, altered the Assigned Lands (POT) Act through an ordinance in 2007 to benefit his relatives.

TDP leader K. Atchannaidu accused YSR in 2021 of returning only 300 acres after the issue surfaced, asserting that Jagan built a residence on the assigned lands.

The TDP is also likely to capitalize on the “split” within the YSR family to undermine Jagan's grip on Pulivendula and the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. Jagan's sister and state Congress president Y. S. Sharmila challenged his power by contesting from Kadapa against their cousin Y. S. Avinash Reddy, who held the seat in 2014. Like Pulivendula, the YSR family has maintained control over the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat since 1989.

In a significant embarrassment for Jagan, Sharmila not only urged the public to defeat him but also criticized him for allegedly protecting Avinash Reddy, who is implicated in the murder of their uncle Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy.