Long-term planning and opponents blunders: How Jagan Mohan Reddy stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh

'Ravali Jagan, kavaali Jagan' (Jagan should come, we want Jagan) was the famous slogan coined by his supporters in Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh in the run up to 2019 general elections. Andhra Pradesh went to polls for its 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly constituencies on April 11. And finally, though cliched, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's dream of becoming Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has come true. However, with this development the worst political nightmare of outgoing Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has come true.

It's no secret that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy wanted Chief Minister's post right after his father and former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, died in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009. However, the Indian National Congress party had firmly said no, and since then Jagan started to chalk out his own plans and strategies.

Jagan's dream of becoming Chief Minister did not materialise even in 2014, when the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, from which Telangana was carved out, came into existence. Jagan was super confident that he will become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and on the morning of the results day on May 16, 2014, plans were chalked out for his swearing-in and portfolios were being discussed in YSRCP. But TDP trounced YSRCP and Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister and also TDP's alliance with Narendra Modi - BJP helped.

Now, what were the factors wherein Jagan and his YSRCP did extremely well in 2019? 

Right from 2014, the politics in Andhra Pradesh is dominated only by two parties - TDP and YSRCP. It continued in 2019 and where did the 'seasoned' and 'senior most politician' - as he calls himself - Chandrababu Naidu go wrong.

"From 2014 till we broke our alliance with the BJP, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was only our political enemy. But we made unnecessary enemies, especially out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao,'' rues Lanka Dinakar, TDP official spokesperson. Dinakar goes on to add, "Another biggest blunder was teaming up with the Congress party. Our Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was born against the Congress party and they were always our prime political adversary and people of Andhra Pradesh are still bitter about Congress for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. By teaming up with the Congress we made a terrible mistake."

After tasting bitter defeat in the 2014 elections and when number of MLAs switched over to TDP, Jagan changed tack and formulated better strategies. His padayatra, wherein he walked 3468 kms across length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh from November 2017 to January 2019, was one giant leap towards reaching the Chief Minister's chair. His padayatra was a huge success wherein people thronged to see and hear him. YSRCP supporters locally and from abroad helped him in getting closer to people.

One of Jagan and YSRCP's supporters, K Lokesh Reddy, came as far from Melbourne in Australia, and he along with 17 of his friends from Australia stayed in Andhra Pradesh for three months from January 10 this year. "Jagan Anna (as he is popularly called by his supporters) made a sincere effort through his padayatra to convince people that they can completely trust him and he will genuinely solve their issues,'' informs Lokesh Reddy, who is busy in party's celebrations in Vijayawada. "People were fed up with Naidu and his false promises and saw through his lies, especially on the special category status issue. We (YSRCP) released our manifesto with just two pages wherein we have promised what we can deliver and the people were convinced,'' underlines Lokesh.

Though YSRCP won with huge numbers both in Assembly and Parliament, Jagan's road ahead as Chief Minister will not be smooth according to political analysts. "The Andhra Pradesh economy is in shambles and Jagan has to walk on a tight rope on many fronts to live up to the voters' expectations,'' opines PL Vishweshwara Rao, former dean, Department of Communication & Journalism, Osmania University.

One thing is for sure - Andhra Pradesh politics in next five years - will be keenly watched and surely, as seen in many Telugu potboilers, there will be lot of action.