From the time of his father’s untimely death in 2009, he has wanted to seat himself on the chief ministerial gaddi. Although he was placed on a turbulent political path, his strong-minded emphasis on becoming the CM finally happened as his YSR Congress secured a landslide victory. Within a decade of walking away from the INC, he has won the confidence of 5 crore Andhras.
The President of YSR Congress party Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy widely known as Jagan will take oath in Vijayawada on 30 May. The party grabbed 151 out of 175 seats in Assembly elections balloting an incredible 49.95 per cent of votes. This is 10 percentage points more than the defeated TDP, which got 23 seats. One wonders if it is time to look at the proportional system of democracy.
The ‘PK, aka Prashant Kishore, effect’ pushed the YSR Congress to power and handed out a traumatizing setback to tech-man politician N Chandrababu Naidu. A 15-month Praja Sankalpa Padayatra was started by Jagan Mohan to realize this target. The slogan of YSR Congress Raavali Jagan Kaavali Jagan (we want Jagan, Jagan should win) became the most viewed election theme song.
The killing strategies of PK and JMR turned the national aspirations of Naidu into ashes. JMR had spent six odd months in jail as an “un-convicted criminal prisoner” in the spate of corruption cases. He is still attending the trial in these cases in the special CBI court in Hyderabad.
WHY NAVEEN BABU WON A RECORD FIFTH TIME
Naveen Patnaik has won for a record fifth time in a row. He has stumped the most vociferous supporters of the BJP. Widely respected and perceived to be clean, Patnaik struck a chord with people and bagged three-fourths of the seats. Krupasindhu Parhi names five reasons for the win.
1. KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) Yojana: a scheme announced 5 months before elections to provide financial assistance to farmers. In this many farmers would get money for the purchase of seeds, manures and pesticides. Also, more than 600,000 self-help groups, each of which received the aid of Rs 15,000 and a smartphone before the elections.
2. PEETHA initiative – Awareness programme on government schemes.
3. Many BJP candidates were those who left Congress/ BJD, and people disliked most of them.
4. Naveen Patnaik made it a personal issue to ensure that Kendrapara’s Jay Panda who quit BJD last year was defeated. Similarly, he took extra pains in to make sure that Anubhav Mohanty, the biggest Hollywood star lost.
5. People want progression and Patnaik bestows it without any noise. So, there is a pro-incumbency for him because of his clean image.
NERVE-RACKING FINALE AT SIKKIM
Vote count of the Sikkim Assembly election turned the pleasant weather of the state into hot and muggy. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) headed by its firebrand leader Prem Singh Tamang, has grabbed power with a slim 2-seat margin over the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). This has stopped the marathon run of the SDF which was in control for 25 years. Sikkim is the smallest state in terms of the electorate with only 4.32 lakh voters and has 32 Assembly seats.
A fascinating feature of the Assembly polls in Sikkim was that the SDF secured more votes than the SKM but won fewer seats. The SDF acquired 47.63 per cent votes and ended up winning 15 seats, while the SKM, which won 17 seats, obtained only 47.03 per cent votes.
ARUNACHAL PRADESH IS IN BJP’S BAG
Saffron shines amidst a violent poll in Arunachal Pradesh. The BJP won 41 seats out of 60 seats and is set to form its first elected government. Verdict 2019 turned out to be one of the worst polls for the Congress, whose tally in the state dropped to 3 from 42 in 2014.
