Chandrababu Naidu’s development mantra eclipsed Jagan’s welfare image

Hyderabad: Failure to impress on Seemadhra voters to develop the residuary state and capital, overconfident top leadership resulting in poor poll management, reluctance to announce farm loan waiver have lead to the defeat of YSR Congress.

Naidu’s development plank for Seemandhra worked out as the key factor to get positive results for it.

Throughout his campaign YS Jagan was insisting on new welfare schemes apart from YSRC schemes mostly catering to the poor but failed to address the fears of employees and middle class on imminent financial uncertainty due to bifurcation.

Jagan could have struck a chord with the rural and downtrodden voters but he miserably failed to connect with the educated, urban and first time voters. Farmers too shifted their loyalty to TD expecting that their farm loans will be waived if Naidu wins.

Jagan was speaking against farm loan waiver as well as the job for every household.

Member of Legislative Council and political analyst Professor K Nageswar said, “Naidu’s development image eclipsed Jagan’s welfare image. As the Congress has totally decimated it lead to political polarization between YSRC and TD. In this the anti Jagan forces rallied for TD benefiting it,”

He said, “state bifurcation has actually benefited TD. The people of Seemandhra felt helpless. The sense of fear against Jagan in the issue of governance has favoured Naidu who has experience in governance.

The role of Naidu in last days of bifurcation where it appeared that he tried stop bifurcation also helped him. The Modi affect is there across the country and it helped Naidu in a very big way,”

Consolidation of upper caste votes including Kapus for TD particularly in Vishakapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari district has resulted in wipe out of the YSRC particularly in this region. Biggest humiliating defeat for YSRC has come from Vishakapatnam where Former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s wife Y S Vijayamma lost in fray for Loksabha seat.

Though YSRC have given 40 assembly seats and 6 parliament seats to Kapus but they stood behind Naidu’s TDP.

YSR did well in Reddy belt including Kadapa, Nellore, Kurnool, Chittoor. Where as it gave a tough fight Guntur and Prakasham of Kamma belt. Two other districts of Kamma belt Krishna and West Godavari district YSRC got a drubbing. Where as in East Godavari and Vishakapatnam it was trounced by TD but gave a decent fight in Srikakulam and Vizainagaram districts.

Sympathy for YS Jagan has come down drastically after he came out of the jail. Interestingly Muslim vote didn’t consolidate for YSRC.

YSRC has poor feedback mechanism as against Naidu’s pyramid structure and the party didn’t gauge the undercurrent vote existing in Seemandhra. YSR chief Jagan was depending on surveys done by the agencies, which got the pulse wrong.