Telugu Desam Party wrests Kadapa by repeating 1999 election results

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu waving the party flag. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangment

It took 25 years for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to post a resounding victory in Kadapa, considered the erstwhile bastion of the Indian National Congress (INC) and later the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

The party won seven out of 10 Assembly seats in the combined Kadapa district in 2024, which is exactly similar to its achievement in 1999, when it bagged eight out of 11 seats (The district lost one seat owing to delimitation exercise later).

Another startling coincidence is that the TDP was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in both the elections, indicating the pertinent need for the party to have a long-term perspective in terms of strategic electoral alliances.

YSR citadel

More than the Congress or the YSR Congress, Kadapa used to be the personal citadel of the YSR family. Be it Late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, his younger brother and former MP Late Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy or the family scion and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the family continued to hold sway over the entire district for 46 years. The YSR detractors could never succeed in wishing the family’s overarching influence away.

However, 2024 proved otherwise. The party steadily lost touch with the grassroots and failed to gauge the voter’s pulse. Even as the candidates exuded confidence till the day of election, the earth-shattering result was overtly in favour of the NDA Alliance.

Analysing the reasons for the YSRCP’s shoddy performance in Mr. Jagan’s home district, poll pundits squarely blame it on the mishandling of the investigation into Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case. The down-to-earth Viveka was very much accessible to the public and was almost considered YSR’s shadow and, as such, his brutal murder in his own house was hard to digest for many.

Similarly, the entry of Jagan’s sibling Y.S. Sharmila Reddy as a contender to YSR legacy, the alleged letdown of sweetlime farmers in Kadapa’s horticultural belt, the failed insurance scheme that offered no respite to farmers during crop failure also dented the ruling party’s prospects.

TDP’s rise

On the other hand, the TDP coordinated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) leadership to ensure coordination in candidate selection as well as joint campaign to ensure pooling up of anti-establishment votes. District President R. Sreenivasa Reddy had a tough time convincing second and third rung leaders to stay in the party fold, despite mounting pressure in the form of police cases.

TDP’s former MLC Mareddy Ravindranath Reddy alias ‘B.Tech’ Ravi not only became the first to establish the TDP office in Pulivendula constituency in decades, but also gave a tough time to YSRCP by enrolling more members and taking his campaign to a new high. The elections saw Mr. Jagan’s victory margin fall to a paltry 61,687 from 90,110 votes in 2019.

In the elections held to Water Users Associations, the TDP scored centum in Pulivendula constituency, much to the chagrin of Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, who alleged irregularities in its conduct. The party eventually boycotted elections across the State.

In a nutshell, 2024 saw the TDP-led alliance emerge stronger by planting its flag firmly in Kadapa district, right from winning the Assembly seats to the local bodies. As a thanksgiving to the voters, it is now payback time for the State Government to ensure overall development of the district.