Vijayawada: With a stable voting per cent of 80 plus in the general elections, both the YSRC and the Opposition three-party alliance are confident of winning the Assembly polls and forming the next government in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Election Commission, the polling percentage was 78.46 per cent by midnight. CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena said this could go up to 81 per cent in the final tally.
The polling percentage was 80.39 in the 2019 elections which gave a landslide victory to the YSRC, which won 151 MLA and 22 MP seats. The Telugu Desam got only 23 MLAs and three MP seats.
The polling percentage was 74.68 in the 2014 elections.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is confident about winning the present elections on the strength of his welfare regime. Taking to X (Twitter), Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “I would like to thank my grandparents, my sisters, my brothers and sisters, my farmers, my SC, my ST, my BC, my minorities, and all my youth who came like a tsunami to bless me in yesterday's elections.”
Thanking the YSRC workers who worked hard in these polls, Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed confidence about the continuation of the YSRC government and said, “I assure you that our good governance will continue to be even better.”
YSRC leaders claimed that women, the elderly, youth, and commoners in large numbers voted for the YSRC and the poll percentage was stable compared to the 2019 elections. A stable poll percentage indicated no anti-incumbency in the state, they claimed.
Citing the serpentine queues and the extension of the polling beyond midnight in some areas, The TD-JS-BJP alliance leaders said this was reflective of the “anti-incumbency” mood in the state after five years of rule of the YSRC.
Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu also expressed confidence about his three-party alliance sweeping the elections. “Seeing the enthusiasm shown by the people to vote, and the enthusiasm that emerged from them, this was the beginning of a new history.”
He claimed that “a desire to end anarchy and achieve democratic governance was evident in every voter who came to the polling stations,” and he saluted the courage of the voters who “did not back down even if the YSRC leaders resorted to violence due to a fear of defeat.”
Naidu claimed that more than 80 per cent polling was a good sign for the state and his alliance.
State BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari also expressed confidence in her party having a good show in the present polls. She said the AP election was a battle between the Kauravas and the Gauravas (the respectable) and that the Andhra people stood with Dharma in the Kurukshetra battle.
The confidence levels of Opposition leaders were high. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan predicted a clean sweep for the three-party alliance. Alliance leaders expressed confidence that the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would win 400 Lok Sabha seats this time.
