BackYSR Congress leaves out Telangana, focuses only on Andhra Pradesh
YSR Congress leaders say the party leadership has decided to focus on Andhra Pradesh, where it is strong, in view of the upcoming 2019 elections
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Hyderabad: Three years after the birth of Telangana, has the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) given up on the newly formed state? That is the indication from recent developments, as the party is seen to be focusing only on Andhra Pradesh (AP), almost disappearing from Telangana’s political scene.
Unlike in AP, where the party is conducting a membership drive called YSR Kutumbam and campaigning for the 2019 general election, it is doing nothing similar in Telangana. After the drive is completed in mid-October, YSRCP chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will also undertake a six-month long padyatra in AP from 2 November.
Party leaders said that the YSRCP leadership has decided to focus on AP, where it is strong, in view of the upcoming 2019 general election.
“We are fighting for a cause in AP and have to take a stand on issues like water sharing, especially between the two states," said a senior YSRCP MLA, asking not to be named. The fact that the only three MLAs and one MP who won on YSCRP tickets in Telangana (in the 119-member assembly) have defected to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) also was a contributor, he added.
“While we are taking up some activities in Telangana, it is a fact that we were able to win those seats in Telangana only because of YSR’s (former chief minister and Reddy’ father Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy) name," stated the senior YSRCP MLA.
YSRCP, which is the only opposition party in AP, also witnessed defections after the 2014 general elections, with 21 of its MLAs in AP joining the ruling Telugu Desam party (TDP) headed by chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The TDP also recently gained the upper hand after it won the Nandyal by-election in AP (held in August), which witnessed heavy campaigning by both the parties.
The political sphere in Telangana, however, is different, where there is a splintered opposition. Post the 2014 general elections, more than 20 MLAs from the Congress, TDP, YSRCP and Communist Party of India shifted to TRS.
A. Chandrasekhar, a political observer and vice-president of Human Rights Forum (AP), said the YSRCP has realised its limitations in working in both states. “Where is the space in Telangana for the YSRCP? The best thing for the party is to utilize its resources in AP. Initially, they thought that Jagan can be a hope in Hyderabad at least," he said, adding that the YSRCP is still under the shadow of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Gattu Srikanth Reddy, in-charge of YSRCP in Telangana, said the party is active in the state on all fronts and is preparing itself for the 2019 elections. “We have a 10% vote bank, and we will be contesting in about 80 seats," he added. Srikanth denied that YSRCP is concentrating less in Telangana, but said, “Our main agenda is to make Jagan Mohan Reddy chief minister."
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