Riding on a strong sympathy wave, jailed MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's nascent YSR Congress today decimated ruling Congress bagging 15 of the 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in by-elections in Andhra Pradesh in a showing that could be a political game changer in the state.
Congress won just two assembly seats, while main opposition Telugu Desam faced a complete rout drawing a blank in a keenly awaited outcome in which the 39-year-old Kadapa MP is fighting a bitter public battle with the Congress over his father and late chief minister YS Rajsekhara Reddy's political legacy.
In the by-polls, touted as the "semi-finals" ahead of the 2014 assembly elections, the TRS managed to scrape through with a slender margin of 1,562 votes in Parkal, the lone assembly seat in Telangana region, as it faced a close contest from the nominee of the 15-month-old YSRCP.
With today's results, the Congress saw its majority reduced to just seven seats having 155 MLAs in a House of 294. The YSRCP tally increased to 17.
In the final analysis, the Congress lost 14 seats as it held 16 seats, won in 2009. The other two were won by PRP in 2009 but now fell in the YSRC kitty. The TRS gained one more seat Parkal, thanks to the by-election.
YSRC's M Rajamohan Reddy won the Nellore Lok Sabha seat defeating high-profile T Subbirami Reddy of Congress by a margin of 2,91,745 votes.
It was also a loss of face for actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi as the YSRC wrested the Tirupati Assembly seat he vacated upon his election to Rajya Sabha in March.
The victory of YSRC was so resounding that the Congress lost deposits in four constituencies though it managed to win two seats, largely on the caste factor.
Lodged in the Chanchalguda prison as an undertrial in the disproportionate assets case against him, Jagan sent out a clear warning signal to the Congress that he will be its nemesis in the next elections as people are solidly behind him.
There may not be any immediate threat to the Kiran Kumar Reddy government but the Chief Minister will surely find the going tough from now on. The Congress, which can count on the support of seven-member Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), termed the by-election results as a "warning" to the party.
The poll outcome was a morale booster for YSRC as it asserted that people did not believe the allegations of corruption levelled against him.
"This is a god-given victory... a victory yearned by the people," YSRC honorary president and Pulivendula MLA Y S Vijaya exclaimed as the fledgling outfit emerged as a potent force in the state politics.
"This is a victory of the people and of democracy," she said after meeting her son in the prison, adding that people of the state did not forget her late husband and former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Jagan's sister Sharmila, who proved to be the YSRC's trump card in the election campaign in his absence, noted: "Anna (elder brother) is very happy about the results. It's unfortunate that he is unable to enjoy it."
She added that the YSRC would sweep the elections in 2014 and Jagan would become the Chief Minister.
"People believe that Jagan is innocent. These results prove that. They believe in Jagan's leadership. He worked hard for it. The results show that people want Rajasekhara Reddy's rule," she said.
Sharmila, along with her mother Y S Vijaya Lakshmi, took over the mantle of the party's campaign soon after Jagan's arrest in an alleged disproportionate assets case on May 27 in the run-up to the polling on June 12.
The seats won by YSRCP are: Narasannapet, Payakaraopet, Polavaram (ST), Prathipadu (SC), Macherla, Ongole, Udayagiri, Rajampet, Kodur, Rayachoty, Allagadda, Yemmiganur, Rayadurg, Anantapur Urban.
A formal announcement is awaited from the Election Commission for the party's win in Tirupati.
In the 15 seats won by YSRC, the Congress was second in four while TDP stood second in 10 segments.
Congress drew a consolation by winning Narsapur in West Godavari and Ramachandrapuram in neighbouring East Godavari.
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