VIJAYAWADA: The YSR Congress has claimed that the rural local body polls that it won massively on Sunday was a referendum on the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRC government's administration, its developmental push and welfare programmes.
Minister for water resources Anil Kumar Yadav said the people ignored the “false propaganda” of the Telugu Desam and other Opposition parties and reposed their confidence in the YSRC government. “These results increase the YSRC’s responsibility towards providing transparent governance to the people and we are rededicating ourselves to the people on this occasion,” he said.
In this context, the minister challenged TD MLAs to submit their resignations and face fresh elections if they had an iota of confidence left that they can retain their seats.
He said the YSRC has continued its winning streak in MPTC and ZPTC elections. “The landslide victory in the recent polls reflects the endorsement of the people's faith in the governance of Jagan. The people have reposed their trust in the good governance of the chief minister and this is reflected in the huge mandate the people gave to YSRC in all the elections,” he said.
Anil said the Telugu Desam had anticipated the party’s rout in the MPTC and ZPTC elections and thus staged the “drama” of election boycott. Fact, he said, was that the TD fell on bad days and didn't even have candidates to file nominations. He said the BCs, SCs, STs and Minorities are with the chief minister, who was also taking care of other communities by his good governance. So, why should any community support the TD, and oppose the YSRC, he asked.
At a separate media conference, agriculture minister Kurusala Kannababu said the winning streak of the YSRC has been continuing. “The party has received 80 per cent positive votes in the past. When the present results are out fully, this support will go beyond that. The people have welcomed the good governance of Jagan,” he said.
He said TD leader Atchannaidu’s words have come true that their party will vanish soon, and flayed the TD for arguing that the YSRC has won only because the TD had boycotted the polls. The minister reminded the TD that the opposition had participated in the elections, gave B-forms to the contestants and campaigned.
Speaking to the media at the party central office, government adviser on social justice, Jupudi Prabhakar, said the people have always voted for the Chief Minister. Jagan Mohan Reddy took governance to the doorsteps of the people by bringing in the volunteer system, he said. “No matter how many conspiracies and intrigues the TD has indulged itself in, the people are behind YSRC,” he claimed.
Chandrababu Naidu avoided conducting local body elections in 2018 and never received favourable results in direct elections after that, as “the people are well aware of the flaws in his governance styles,” the adviser added.
MLA Ambati Rambabu said it was another humiliating defeat to TD and Naidu as the party lost its presence in Kuppam and Chandragiri constituencies. “The TD should better shut its shop in the state,” he said.
Rambabu said Naidu didn't conduct local body polls during his term due to the fear the TD would lose the elections. “Naidu should understand that the people have rejected him and this is proven again in the MPTC and ZPTC results. TD with the help of the former SEC has indulged in several political conspiracies in regard to local body polls,” he said, and added that the former SEC had postponed local body polls citing Covid as a reason but his aim was to favour the TD.
The results of the Panchayat and municipal polls made it clear that the people are not in support of TD and Naidu, he added.
