The recent Member of Legislative Council (MLC) elections in the two Telugu states are a cause of worry for the incumbent parties in both states – Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh and K Chandrasekhar Rao’s BRS party in Telangana. For the first time since the last state assembly elections in both states, the results of the recent MLC elections appear ominous for the current ruling parties.
By Saturday, March 18th, Andhra Pradesh’s MLC election results were declared confirmed after a few days of counting and re-counting amidst rumours and speculations. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Andhra Pradesh’s principal opposition party, made a comeback in the MLC elections, notably in the Graduates’ Constituencies in North Coastal AP (Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam), East Rayalaseema districts (Chittoor, Nellore, and Prakasam) and West Rayalaseema comprising of Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool districts, which are all considered the ruling YSR Congress Party’s strongholds.
North-coastal Andhra constituency’s TDP candidate Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao won over the YSRCP candidate, Sithamraju Sudhakar. East Rayalaseema’s TDP candidate Kancharla Srikanth Chowdary won over YSRCP candidate Pernati Syam Prasada Reddy. West Rayalaseema TDP’s Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy won over YSRCP’s Vennapusa Ravindra Reddy.
Former Chief Minister and TDP President, N. Chandrababu Naidu thanked the voters for TDP’s victory in all three graduates’ constituencies, stating that it is a clear indication of educated people’s far-sighted understanding of the YSRCP’s unsustainable policies and rejection of Jagan Reddy’s corruption, lack of law and order, fiscal irregularities and economic policies leading to AP’s critical financial situation.
Earlier last week, the TDP leader had requested the chief electoral officer, MK Meena, and district electoral officers in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati to ensure transparency and fairness in the counting of votes. TDP state president K Atchan Naidu said that people have rejected YSRCP’s “three-capital cities” proposal as well as his party’s large land-grabbing/other illegal activities around the greater Visakhapatnam area under the pretence of “development” and expansion.
The YSRCP won 4 seats from local bodies’ constituencies and 2 seats from Teachers’ constituencies. Local news reports speculated that the 2 Teachers’ constituency seats may have been won under the YSRCP party’s pressure tactics/threats to local teacher’s unions, considering that the YSRCP is not viewed favourably by this segment of the population. Non-payment/late payment of salaries and allowances to teaching staff and other government employees in the cash-strapped state as well as high levels of political interference and intimidation has earned the ruling YSRCP, an unfavorable reputation among a majority of Andhra Pradesh’s government employees.
In Telangana, the BJP tasted its maiden victory in the MLC elections. BJP-backed candidate, A Venkat Narayana Reddy won the MLC election from the Mahabunagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad teachers’ constituency over his nearest rival G Chennakeshava Reddy of Panchayat Raj Teachers’ Union (PRTU), who was supported by the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party.
Telangana State BJP president Bandi Sanjay expressed his joy and declared “this is the first time in the new state of Telangana that the BJP has won an MLC seat in the Teachers’ constituency. This election proves strong anti-incumbency against the BRS, especially among government employees and the educated sections.”
Against the backdrop of the Opposition’s victory in both states:
– Telangana’s BRS party is embroiled in the Delhi Liquorgate scam, its leader K Chandrasekhar Rao tried to rally a section of non-Congress, Non-BJP parties to form a struggling “third-front” alternative exposing his national ambitions and his incumbent BRS party does appear to be fighting an anti-incumbency wave after almost 10 years in power. The BJP appears to be gaining ground among certain sections of Hindus amidst complaints about the BRS party’s minority appeasement policies.
– Andhra’s ruling YSRCP members and ‘advisors’ are also embroiled in the Delhi Liquorgate scandal and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister is desperately knocking on the doors of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for help in reversing the state’s significant negative economic trends. Reddy and his YSRCP have bankrupted AP’s exchequer with unreasonable, non-feasible “welfare” schemes and are desperate for the release of additional funds to the state government, the granting of a promised “special status” for Andhra Pradesh (tabled in Parliament, after the larger state’s bifurcation in 2014) and approval for a much-needed expansion of Visakhapatnam’s airport.
Telangana goes to polls before the end of this year and Andhra has about a year before its next state elections. The results of the recent MLC elections in both states are a wake-up call to Telangana’s BRS party and AP’s YSRCP.
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