The son of a popular leader wants to take his place after his death. In swift strokes, he outlines support for his cause from his father's cronies, creates a demand for him to get his father's position, but this is not to be. The odour of opportunism offends olfactory sensibilities, issues of propriety are raised, and a senior is appointed. The issue is still, not settled, and the new prince awaits coronation, except for the fact that there is no one to coronate him.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is 37, an industrialist-turned-politician after the death of the former Chief Minister, the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Restless and rebellious, he is a man in a hurry, but no one is in a rush to fulfil his ambition. For the Congress, he is the enfant terrible who has brazenly tried to take over the reins even as he is a first-time MP nurtured in a feudal political culture of the faction-ridden Rayalaseema region, where loyalties and rivalries run through generations.

Well-groomed, clad in a formal striped shirt and trousers, Jagan is not a typical politician who eschews ambition. "Is it a sin to be ambitious? If you were in my position, will you not aspire to take up the mantle to carry forward the good work of your father?" he counters when asked about his claim to the Chief Minister's post, which is now held by senior Congress leader, Konijeti Rosaiah.

Not many outside Andhra Pradesh had heard of Jagan till the news channels beamed the images of a grieving young man receiving the mourners with folded hands on the day his father's charred body arrived in Hyderabad on September 3 last year.

A swift, emotional campaign to anoint him as Chief Minister had pitch forked him into the national limelight. Till then, he was a businessman on a roll, receiving a generous patronage from his doting father. From a small-time realtor, who used to occasionally help his father during poll campaigns, to a high-profile industrialist with interests in power, infrastructure, cement and media sectors, his rise has been phenomenal. So were the controversies.

The growth of his business empire is only matched by brazenness of his political ambitions. YSR, a mass leader who steered the Congress to victory for a second successive term, wanted to groom his son as his political heir, and in fact, the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat was vacated by YSR's younger brother YS Vivekananda Reddy to pave way for his nephew's political entry from the home turf in the last year's elections.

Jagan has often been the target of attack by Opposition parties for the alleged irregularities in his business deals. The Opposition charge is that his empire has been built through questionable means.

Jagan, a management graduate from Osmania University, has a penchant for branded shirts and good things in life. His loyalists vouch for his commitment to keep up his word. His friends and followers say he is curt and caring, and at the same time, demands complete loyalty from his coterie and not amenable to counsel of restraint.

"People see YSR in him. He alone can carry forward YSR's legacy and implement the welfare programmes enunciated by his father," says the now-suspended Congress general secretary and a close aide, A Rambabu.

While "Jagan-for-CM" was expected, the speed with which the campaign became viral left many party seniors embarrassed, especially when parallels were drawn with Rajiv Gandhi's appointment soon after the death of Indira Gandhi. The party high command was, however, not impressed. "He should have patience and work hard to come up in the party. This is not the way to seek positions," said Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao, a known YSR critic.

Even after Sonia Gandhi told him to cooperate with Rosaiah, Jagan is irrepressible. "It is unfortunate that the two key poll promises made by my father-increasing the quota of rice to the poor and the quantum of free power supply to farmers-are yet to be implemented. I will continue to mount pressure on the government to fulfil the promises," Jagan says with an air of defiance.

That the young MP was set on a collision course with the high command was clear when he defied its directive not to take up his proposed "Odarpu Yatra" (Consolation Tour). Though it was ostensibly meant to meet families of those who died of shock or committed suicide following YSR's death, its political overtones have not gone unnoticed.

The Jagan camp claimed that over 460 people died of either shock or committed suicide. However, there were allegations that these reports were "fake". "They were part of a brand building exercise," says Kancha Illaiah, a writer and professor of political science at Osmania University.

The final showdown is imminent with the rebel leader gearing up for his third phase of the yatra on September 3, coinciding with the first death anniversary of his father. "How can I stop this tour? I made a promise during my father's memorial meeting at the accident site that I will visit each and every family who lost their dear ones following my father's death," he says.

As signals from Delhi indicate an imminent disciplinary action, Jagan now finds himself isolated in the party. Ironically, a majority of the MLAs, who were in the forefront of the campaign to anoint him as YSR's successor just a few months ago, are now deserting him. "Jagan has crossed the Lakshman Rekha and must face action. No individual is above the party," the Congress MP from Nizamabad Madhu Yashki Goud said.

Political observers say the options before the young MP are limited. He should either bow to the high command and wait patiently for his turn to rule the state, or walk out of the party on the "family honour" plank. Will he do a Sharad Pawar on the Congress? "Jagan is only trying to bask in his father's glory. Individually, he has not proved his mettle and minus the Congress he will be a big zero," political analyst A Srinivasa Rao says.

Clearly, two factors seem to have influenced Jagan's decision to revolt against the leadership. One, he is aware that he would not be made CM replacing Rosaiah, a hardcore Sonia loyalist. Two, the MP also knows that sympathy factor may not last till the next elections due in 2014.

The Telangana statehood movement has taken the wind out of Jagan's sail. Being a strong votary of integrated Andhra Pradesh, Jagan has virtually become a persona non-grata for the pro-Telangana elements within and outside his party. In the midst of soured relations with the party bosses, Jagan's business dealings have come under fresh scanner, particularly his alleged “close links” with the controversial Karnataka mining baron and BJP leader G Janardhan Reddy. The mining tycoon was a close family friend of YSR and soon after his death; the Reddy brothers backed Jagan in his campaign to become Chief Minister.

Jagan's media ventures—a Telugu daily “Sakshi” and a news channel by the same name, have also triggered controversy. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleges: “The ill-gotten wealth of YSR has gone into these media ventures.”

Political observers say that Jagan’s provocative actions and speeches are part of a well-calculated strategy to force the Congress to initiate action against him. This he hopes will make him martyr and provide the necessary ground to split the party.

However, it is still not clear as to how many legislators and MPs would back him. With 156 legislators in the 294-member Assembly, the Congress is in a vulnerable position. If Jagan can take away 30 or more MLAs with him, then the government might collapse.

The political future of this young, rebellious leader, and possibly of the only southern state ruled by the Congress, now hinges on the word from 10, Janpath.