YSR Cong, TSR win in Andhra Pradesh

In what could be described as a swashbuckling victory, the YSR Congress party of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, the bete noire of  AP Congress, has opened its account in Andhra Pradesh assembly with a record win in the Kovur byelection.

The win in the March 18 by poll has triggered a growing political discontent against the Congress and the polarisation of the TDP in Andhra Pradesh.

The byelection out come in all the seven segments – Adilabad, Kamareddy, Station Ghanpur, Kollapur, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Kovur has stunned the Congress and the TDP. The TDP lost deposits in Nagarkurnool, Kamareddy and Mahbubnagar but emerged as number two in Kovur and Station Ghanpur.

Commenting on the result, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said the candidates selection, power crisis and lack of coordination led to the Congress defeat. He had been at daggers drawn with the PCC chief, who had finalised the candidates without consulting the CM.

The TDP and the Congress failed to retain their seats (four and two respectively) after their sitting MLAs resigned to join the Telangana movement  and also to join the YSR Congress in coastal Andhra. The major loss is to the TDP whose all four defected candidates won by huge margins, driving their erstwhile parent party to third position.

But the TRS also got a surprise with the BJP winning in Mahbubnagar, giving credence to the campaign that Telagnana demand needs support of a national party. The BJP improved its strength in the assembly to three and the TRS to 16 (four additions).

The Congress number will go further down by 18 seats after the disqualification of 17 rebel Cong MLAs now in Jagan camp and the seat of Tirupati of actor Chiranjeevi falls vacant on his election to Rajya Sabha.

The results have emboldened the CM baiters in the Congress, who now want the high command to either introduce a bill for separate Telangana in Parliament at the earliest or a change of guard in the state.