"Jagan’s Isolation Post-Defeat Worries Party Cadre"
A party must typically have a clear and consistent policy on any issue. However, in Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) seems to operate with a different stance in every assembly. Due to its opposition status, the YSRCP attends Legislative Council sessions, but then claims it isn't even granted opposition status in the Assembly and therefore chooses to boycott its sessions. This inconsistent approach has left not only the public but also its own party members baffled, especially after YSRCP chief and former CM Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy made such announcements. Even those who usually support Jagan strongly opposed his decision to stay away from the Assembly. Many believe that the lack of opposition status is just a pretext and that his ego is the real reason stopping him from sitting in the Assembly without official recognition.
In the recent elections, Jagan faced a massive defeat—losing in as many as 164 constituencies. He himself openly stated that people voted (or didn’t vote) based on his image and performance over the past five years and the ₹2.5 lakh crore he distributed through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) schemes—not because of the YSRCP candidates. So, the loss in those 164 constituencies is seen not just as a defeat of YSRCP candidates, but personally of Jagan himself. Even after being reduced from 151 seats to just 11, party leaders say there’s no sign of change in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s behavior or approach. Instead of reviewing what went wrong and analyzing the causes behind such a massive defeat, he simplistically blames the TDP-led coalition and their "Super Six" promises for YSRCP’s downfall and seems to be moving forward believing that alone. But here, Jagan is ignoring one important point—the people of Andhra Pradesh have experienced Chandrababu Naidu’s governance in the past and are well aware of his track record on implementing promises. The 2024 election results reflect the public’s strong desire to reject Jagan, not just support TDP.
Party leaders themselves are saying that Jagan has become an example of what happens when a leader ignores his own team and insists on doing politics his own way. Several senior YSRCP leaders believe that issues like liquor policy and neglect of infrastructure (especially roads), along with overly centralized governance (everything revolving around Jagan), led to voter resentment and many local leaders becoming inactive. Even after suffering such a humiliating defeat, Jagan shows no signs of change, say party insiders. They note that even now, wherever he holds public meetings, people are showing up in large numbers, which makes Jagan confident again that victory is still within reach. Just as he avoided even visiting the Secretariat while in power, he continues to remain confined to his residence, barely meeting party leaders—summoning them only when he chooses. One senior leader revealed that unless public discontent against the TDP-led coalition government grows significantly, there is little chance people will turn back to Jagan or YSRCP.
Some YSRCP leaders also believe that if Chandrababu Naidu begins to implement his “Super Six” promises—even with some delay—Jagan’s strong vote bank may erode even further. In short, YSRCP leaders themselves admit that the future of Jagan and YSRCP now rests in the hands of Chandrababu Naidu and the coalition government. Since the people have already seen how Jagan governs, they are unlikely to believe whatever he says without question anymore.
