Jagan Mohan Reddy, The One Man Army Of Andhra Pradesh (image@ysjagan)
Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohana Reddy, popularly known as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is a one man army. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is all poised to face head on all the criticisms and accusations hurled at him. The CM is not bothered about losing to the opposition alliance. Jagan Mohan have a powerful hold in the Andhra Pradesh politics.
Jagan Mohan had an eventful political journey since the beginning. Born to YS Rajashekhara, Jagan Mohan started his political career by campaigning for the Indian National Congress in 2004. In 2009, he was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency on Congress ticket. In 2009, when his father, who was the Chief Minister of the state, died due to a helicopter crash, He started to make efforts to take over the political legacy of his father. However, the move was not accepted by the major leaders of the party, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He quit Congress over the conflict faced regarding the consolation tour of his father.
After resigning from the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency in 2010, Jagan Mohan founded a new party. The new party, Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSR Congress Party) was founded in 2011. The party went for a by-election in Kadapa constituency and has won almost all the seat with huge majority, highlighting the power Jagan have over the region.
In the 2012, Jagan Mohan was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the charges of embezzlement. He was detained over the allegations that he used his father”s office to accumulate assets illegally during his tenure as Chief Minister. The politician’s judicial custody was extended to 16 months. During his time in prison, he went for a hunger strike protesting against the decision to separate Telangana state. After 125 hours of indefinite strike, he was taken to hospital due to drop in hi sugar level and blood pressure.
After coming out of the jail, he declared that his party would contest for the 2014 election as the opposition. His party won 67 out of the 175 assembly seats. He launched a ‘Praja Sankalpa Yatra’ in 2017, and walked across the state covering 125 constituencies. He completed the walk in 430 days. During the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, his party has won 151 out of the 175 seats, which is widely believed to be the result of his padayatra. He was then elected as the Chief Minister of the state. The party also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats.
The 2024 Lok Sabha election is extremely crucial for Jagan Mohan. Reportedly, YSR Congress Party (YCP) has been a silent supporter of BJP, as it never opposed any of the bills passed by the latter. Since the TDS (Telugu Desam Party), YCP’s major rival, has joined hands with BJP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party, YCP may not slant towards BJP. Jagan Mohan is confident that his party will win more MP seats in this election than in the 2019 election. With BJP teaming up with TDS, the INDIA bloc is seeking Jagan Mohan for his party’s support.
