Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday, 24 September 2026, directed the party's Regional Coordinators to sharply accelerate preparations for the upcoming local body elections. At a review meeting held at the party's Central office in Tadepalli, Jagan emphasised the urgent need to identify credible candidates early and present a united front going into the civic polls.

Key Directives from the Tadepalli Meeting

Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed Regional Coordinators to launch the candidate identification process immediately, stressing that only strong, credible, and capable individuals should be fielded. A party statement quoted him as saying that decisions made during candidate selection must also serve to consolidate the party's strength for future elections beyond the current cycle.

Coordinators were asked to consult leaders at every level — gathering wide-ranging opinions and conducting multiple rounds of deliberation before finalising candidate lists. The YSRCP chief underscored that the entire party machinery must be brought onto a single platform and advance into the elections in a cohesive, organised manner.

Narrative Battle: YSRCP vs the TDP Administration

A central thrust of Jagan's directive was a political messaging campaign aimed at contrasting the record of the former YSRCP government with that of the current Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led administration under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He asked party leaders to go door-to-door and articulate the welfare and governance initiatives delivered during YSRCP's tenure, while simultaneously highlighting what he described as the failures and hardships inflicted on ordinary citizens during the two-and-a-half years of Naidu's current tenure.

'Leaders should explain the differences between the previous YSRCP government and the present Telugu Desam Party-led administration and highlight the difficulties and losses that people have faced during the two-and-a-half years of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's tenure,' Jagan said, according to the party statement.

Preparing for Electoral Challenges

Jagan cautioned the party to brace for attempts to influence the electoral process, alleging that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu would resort to police power and other means to sway local body elections. He directed YSRCP leaders to develop suitable contingency plans and alternatives at every organisational level to counter such eventualities.

Regional Coordinators were further instructed to closely supervise local units, resolve internal disputes through consultation, and reinforce booth-level and grassroots leadership to keep the organisation unified throughout the election campaign. This comes amid a broader effort by the YSRCP to rebuild its cadre network following its defeat in the 2024 state assembly elections.

Senior Leaders Present at the Review

Several senior YSRCP figures attended the Tadepalli meeting, including Regional Coordinators Botsa Satyanarayana, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Y.V. Subba Reddy, Ayodhya Rami Reddy, P.V. Midhun Reddy, Kurasala Kannababu, Gudivada Amarnath, and Budi Mutyala Naidu.

With the local body elections on the horizon, the YSRCP's push to rebuild its grassroots infrastructure and sharpen its anti-incumbency message against the TDP government will be closely watched as a bellwether for the party's revival trajectory.