YSRCP storms to power on welfare plank

The general elections-2019 have attracted national, and to some extent international attention with the party led by a leader with youthful exuberance upset the apple cart of a politician who has vast experience in administration.

The YSRCP Congress Party, led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of former Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, stormed to power on the plank of government with a human face and welfare measures.

The YSRCP grabbed 151 out of total 175 seats, pushing the ruling TDP into the corner.

Not only seats, the YSRCP even secured a little below 50 per cent of popular vote. The TDP got 41.20 per cent of vote share. This is the first time that a political party secured nearly 50 per cent of popular vote in the State.

A film star-turned politician Pawan Kalyan, who claimed that his support to the TDP helped the latter come to power in the maiden elections of Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation of the state in 2014, failed to make a mark.

He founded Jana Sena Party and hoped to garner the votes of middle-class voters.

But he bit the dust. He had unsuccessfully contested from two constituencies. He was able to get just 6.78 per cent of vote share. Only one of its candidates was able to win. The BJP and Left parties drew blank.

Political pundits had predicted in the run up to the elections that the contest between the ruling TDP and the YSRCP was neck and neck.

But the landslide victory scored by the YSRCP made the pundits a laughing stock. Jagan Mohan Reddy was able to win hearts of various section of people, particularly the farmers and the Backward Classes, besides Dalits.

The longest walkathon by any politician in the country, Jagan Mohan Reddy's Praja Sankalpa Yatra of 3,648 km in 341 days, helped him meet the people and win over their hearts and minds.

The walkathon enabled his party to score landslide victory in the elections. Strategist Prashanth Kishor and his team played an important role in the impressive victory for the party.

The social media wing of the party also played an important role to form a positive opinion on the party leadership.

Moreover, the huge numbers of people are strongly connected to YSR Congress as supporters of former Chief Minister the late Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.

Especially, the YSR Congress could manage the victory by successfully managing the social engineering politics.

The backward classes, who are traditionally strong supporters of the TDP, shifted their loyalty to the YSR Congress. The YSRCP leadership could implement different electioneering plans successfully.

On the other hand, the TDP had given utmost priority to Kapus and the 5 per cent reservation bill was also passed in the Assembly, which resulted in displeasure among the BCs.

The BCs were also attracted when the YSRCP strongly opposed the Kapu reservation and also Pawan Kalyan's leadership.

YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly criticised Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan during his East Godavari district tour. It helped the YSRCP secure the support of the BCs.

Apart from this, the anti-Kamma factor also played an important role in the elections.

Though TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu did not encourage the people of that community not much, the attitude of some ministers and the MLAs of the party, especially Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, Chintamaneni Prabhakar, P Pulla Rao, Kodela Siva Prasada Rao created anti-Kamma sentiment.

Apart from this, the social media wing of YSRCP played a crucial role to rouse the anti-incumbency sentiment.

The strategists of YSRCP developed a slogan and call for 'one chance.' The leaders including Jagan and his family members appealed to the people to give one chance.

A sizeable number of neutral voters and youth were attracted to the slogan and gave their support to him. The slogan also helped the YSR Congress to come to power.

In spite of the Pasupu Kumkuma money distributed to the Dwcra women by the TDP, the promise extended by the YSRCP to waive the Dwcra loans attracted the women. This has become one of the game changers.