YSRC to make good use of full term to attain Target-175 goal

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has drawn the curtains down on speculations about early assembly elections in AP– as TS did in 2018 -- and his emissaries have made clear he has no such plans.

This could likely give nearly 20 months for political parties to strengthen their bases in the 26 districts. At the same time, the politics in AP is heating up with ruling YSR Congress and opposition Telugu Desam fighting over the capital issue.

The ruling YSR has increased its efforts to get the approval of the masses to its decentralized development policy through the 3-Capitals initiative. It has intensified the party’s campaigns by forming non-political JAC in support of the 3-Capitals plan, and aims to continue its winning streak in the next elections.

There had been speculations over Jagan going for early elections, just as KCR did in TS in 2018 and retained power. The Jagan government had started the mass contact programme Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam, sending its MLAs to every house to hear and resolve public issues and raise the legislators’ popularity graphs. This led to speculations about early elections in AP.  
 

YSRC state general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy clarified to the cadres that there is no plan to go for early elections. He said CM Jagan fulfilled 95 per cent of the poll promises he gave to the people in 2019 and will go for elections after complete implementation of all the promises in five years of his tenure.
 

Reddy asked the party leaders and cadres to dedicatedly work for strengthening the YSRC to achieve the target of ‘175 in the 2024 elections.
 

According to sources, Jagan planned to take the issue of decentralized development to the masses in the coming days. Meetings and processions started in north Andhra, coastal and Rayalaseema regions. The advocates of Rayalaseema started protests and agitations seeking the high court in Kurnool and they would intensify the stir.

Notably, the BJP which had in 2018 announced its Rayalaseema Declaration seeking the high court and the second capital of AP in Kurnool later forgot these and announced its support to the cause of solo capital in Amaravati. But, as the political atmosphere is changing, BJP leaders revived the Rayalaseema declaration and is promising to implement the same for Rayalaseema’s development.  
 

Minister Gudivada Amarnath and other leaders of non-political JAC said that a rally will be organised for October 15 in support of 3-Capitals plan, at Visakhapatnam. The meetings will be conducted by NPJAC in all mandals and assembly constituencies and these would also stress the need for having the executive capital in Vizag.

Political analysts say the masses would press for development of their areas. Hence, it would be Advantage YSRC in North Andhra and Rayalaseema regions vis-à-vis the 3-Capitals plan.

They recalled that KCR, to flare up a separate Telangana state wish among masses, had started non-political JAC under which he brought all Telangana parties, unions, organisations and associations onto one platform for the Telangana movement. Now, the YSRC is following the same path by forming a non-political JAC to get support from all sections for the 3-Capitals plan, they noted.