Three years ago, in November 2021, N Chandrababu Naidu walked out of the state Assembly, vowing to return to the House only as the chief minister.
On Tuesday, the NDA alliance led by Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) swept the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls, bagging 164 out of the 175 seats. Bouncing back from its humiliating defeat in 2019, the TDP won 135 of the 144 seats it contested.
The TDP also did well in the Lok Sabha polls with allies BJP and Janasena Party.
Naidu is likely to take oath as the chief minister on June 9 for the fourth time. He served as CM twice in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh and one more time after the state’s bifurcation in 2014.
Naidu’s comeback is significant as the TDP was written off after back-to-back electoral drubbings at the hands of Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party. The Jagan government had also arrested Naidu for his alleged involvement in the skill development corporation scam. Out of jail, the 74-year-old put up a spirited fight against the YSRCP by touring the entire state.
The Jana Sena won all the 21 seats it contested. The BJP contested 10 seats and won eight. The TDP, Jana Sena and the BJP had formed an alliance in Andhra Pradesh ahead of polls to take on the YSRCP.
In a crushing defeat, Chief Minister Jagan’s YSRCP won only 11 seats and lost the Opposition status in the Assembly.
For the Opposition status in the 175-member Assembly, a party should have at least 18 MLAs. Twenty-three of the 25 ministers in the Jagan Cabinet were defeated. In almost eight of the 13 combined districts, the YSRCP could not win even a single seat. It was a rout for the YSRCP in the Rayalaseema region too, considered its bastion.
The YSRCP failed to win even one seat in Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, West Godavari, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Nellore and Prakasam districts.
Among the winners are Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan (Pithapuram) and Nara scion Nara Lokesh (Mangalagiri), who were defeated in the 2019 polls.
Didn’t expect: Jagan
Conceding defeat, Jagan said he did not expect the outcome. "We implemented Amma Vodi, benefiting 5.3 million students... For five years, 6.6 million elderly and disabled received monthly pensions at their doorsteps. Despite our efforts, it is surprising that we did not receive the mandate in return,” he said.
Jagan sent his resignation to Governor Abdul Nazeer. He will remain as chief minister until the formation of a new government.
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