Jagan making plans to take Kuppam from Chandrababu in 2024

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy plans to not just retain power in 2024, but also wants to surpass the YSRCP’s 2019 polls’ tally of 151 out of 175 assembly seats.

To achieve this, Reddy wants all his party leaders and cadres to operate keeping in mind the target of all 175 seats.

However, the one seat where the YSRCP chief has his sight set on is Kuppam—the constituency of his arch-rival and former chief minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

Kuppam, which lies at the junction of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has been represented by the Telugu Desam Party chief since 1989—this means an undefeated seven terms. This tail-end assembly segment of Andhra Pradesh was one of the 23 constituencies the TDP won in the 2019 elections, in what was the party’s worst performance since its inception in 1983.

Reddy has been on a mission to break into Naidu's bastion. During last year’s local body elections in the state, the ruling party-backed candidates won a majority of panchayats falling under the Kuppam constituency. The YSRCP also took hold of the Kuppam municipality. The TDP, however, termed the victories as unethical, accusing the ruling side of gross misuse of power.

Reddy’s target now, sources said, is Naidu’s own seat, to deny him entry into the state legislative assembly.

In a meeting with the constituency’s YSRCP leaders on Thursday, Reddy told them that Kuppam is “as much important to him as his own constituency Pulivendula.”

“Our government has developed Kuppam much more in the last three years, compared to what Chandrababu did over decades. We have sanctioned Rs 65 crore for various developmental works in the municipality. I assure you to do more for the people there in the coming days,” Reddy told his party members.

In the 2014 and 2019 elections, YSRCP had put up retired IAS officer K Chandramouli as its candidate against the heavyweight Naidu. With Chandramouli’s demise in 2020, Reddy declared his son K Bharat as the YSRCP Kuppam candidate for 2024 polls.

“Bharat is doing excellent work in the constituency and played a major role in our victory in the local body and municipal elections. We need to support him by all means, paving the way for his and party’s victory,” Reddy told the Kuppam leaders.

“I promise to take Bharat into the state cabinet upon winning Kuppam,” said the chief minister, announcing the reward for achieving the seemingly impossible task.