M A I N   N E W S

Jagan passes LS test
n Pulls off a stunning victory in Kadapa bypoll by over 5 lakh votes
n His mother wins Pulivendula Assembly seat by record margin
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, May 13
The massive victory of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a byelection in Andhra Pradesh may well turn out to be a game-changer in a state plagued by political uncertainty.

In his maiden political battle, Jagan, who floated the YSR Congress Party recently after quitting Congress, pulled off a stunning victory in the byelection to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 5.43 lakh votes. Both the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party candidates lost their deposits.

This was the first test for Jagan in his campaign to inherit the political legacy of his charismatic father and former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Though his victory in his family bastion was widely expected, its staggering scale has left the ruling party circles stunned. The state Health Minister, Dr DL Ravindra Reddy, who was pitted against him, lost his deposit.

Jagan’s mother Vijayamma emerged victorious in Pulivendula Assembly constituency with a record margin of 85,000 votes. This constituency was represented by YSR till his death in a helicopter crash in September 2009. The Congress had fielded YSR’s younger brother and state Agriculture Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy there. But, he lost the deposit as his sister-in-law swept the poll with an unprecedented margin. The mother-son duo had resigned from the Congress in November last year after Jagan’s claim for the Chief Minister’s post was rejected by the high command. After floating a new regional party, they sought re-election from Kadapa and Pulivendula, respectively.

The bypoll outcome has come as a major embarrassment for the Congress which had deputed at least a dozen ministers to Kadapa to ensure Jagan’s defeat and nip his political ambitions in the bud.

The enormity of Jagan’s victory is bound to have an impact on the course of politics in the state which is yet to fully come to terms with political vacuum caused by the sudden death of YSR. There are fears that Jagan, emboldened by the bypoll mandate, may try to pull the plug and unseat the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.

The Congress has 155 MLAs in the House, just seven more than the half-way mark. It is estimated that Jagan enjoys the support of about 25 to 30 MLAs. The rebel activity may now gather the momentum.

Sensing trouble from Jagan camp, the ruling has already roped in the actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi. His 30-month-old Praja Rajyam Party has merged with the Congress, providing it the much-needed support in the event of a showdown. The PRP has 18 legislators in the House.

There is a speculation that the pro-Jagan MLAs, across the political spectrum, might quit the Assembly en mass and join the YSR Congress Party.

As the byelection was seen as a fight for YSR’s political legacy, Jagan can claim to have crossed the first hurdle in his journey to reach the seat of power.