Who is TDP decimator Jaganmohan Reddy?

When Chandrababu Naidu took on the onus of uniting Opposition forces against the NDA government, it looked like his Telugu Desam party might emerge triumphant in the Assembly and Lok Sabha 2019 elections in Andhra Pradesh. However, he did not account for YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who swept aside opponents, decimated every hurdle and claimed an unexpected victory.
The founder and leader of the YSR Congress Party got an imposing victory as predicted by exit polls. But who is YS Jaganmohan Reddy? Here's what you need to know about the next chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Follow Lok Sabha Election Live Updates here

Early life
Son of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan was born on Dec. 21, 1972, in the Pulivendula village of the Kadapa District in Andhra Pradesh. His early education was in Pulivendula and he then went to Hyderabad Public School.
Political chapter
Later in his life, Jaganmohan founded a newspaper named Sakshi and a television channel named Sakshi TV. Jaganmohan faced the tragic loss of his father in 2009. On Sept. 2, 2009, a helicopter carrying then Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy crashed and was discovered on Rudrakonda Hill. All the passengers were killed.
Hundreds of people committed suicide at the news of his death, prompting Jaganmohan to go on a Odarpu Yatra (condolence tour) and meet the families of the grieving and the deceased. He received a lot of attention for this initiative, but the Congress party’s central leadership ordered him to call off the tour. He defied the order and went ahead. This act of insubordination sowed the first seeds of discord between Jaganmohan and the Congress power centre.
The rise of YSRCP
Jaganmohan's fallout with the Congress leadership led him to make a bold statement. He formed the YSR Congress Party, which became the new powerhouse in Andhra politics as Jaganmohan's exit from the Congress party caused many of his loyalists to follow suit. In 2012, the YSRCP won the Kovur Assembly seat in Nellore in a by-election. In 2012, the party won the Nellore Lok Sabha seat and 15 Assembly seats in Andhra, which was the beginning of a paradigm shift in Andhra politics.
Moment of fame
In 2012, Jaganmohan was also jailed for a disproportionate assets case. During his time in jail, he went on a hunger strike opposing the then UPA Government’s decision to carve a new state out of Andhra, a state which would be later known as Telangana. His mother, the then MLA Vijayamma accompanied him on the strike. The protest attracted attention across the nation, especially in the South. After he was released on bail in 2013, he was hailed by political analysts as Andhra's future leader. He did not stop there. Jaganmohan began a 3,000-km walk named PrajaSankalpa Yatra on Nov. 6, 2017. His supporters then coined the phrase “Raavali Jagan, Kaavali Jagan,” which means “Jagan should come, we want Jagan.”

With the Lok Sabha election 2019 results, it's clear that Jaganmohan has arrived. His has made his mark and stepped out of the shadows of his renowned father. His push for a special status for Andhra undermined Chandrababu Naidu’s campaigns and Naidu's close ties with the Centre did not help. With Jaganmohan's victory, Andhra is set to be ruled again by a Reddy. The legacy of Rajasekhara Reddy lives on.