A few political developments in the recent past give an indication to the political future of Andhra Pradesh.
The incidents may look trivia to many. But, they are of significance and, if read between the lines, tell a lot about the political rhetoric in the State.
Firstly, what had raised many an eyebrow was the presence of ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi on the dais along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during the unveiling of the statue of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram on July 4.
The bonhomie between Mr. Chairanjeevi and Mr. Modi at the programme organised as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was palpable, which triggered a heartburn in the Jana Sena Party (JSP) founded by the Megastar’s younger brother and actor, ‘Power Star’ Pawan Kalyan.
What had surprised the sceptics and political pundits was the conspicuous absence of Mr. Pawan Kalyan, a political ally of the BJP in the State.
Is there a simmering difference between both the parties? Is the BJP unhappy with the rumours that the JSP and the TDP may go to the polls together? Is the BJP trying to use Mr. Chiranjeevi as a trump card to checkmate the JSP-TDP combine?
In the past, Mr. Pawan Kalyan had fallen out with Mr. Chiranjeevi after he merged his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with the Congress and went on to become Union Minister of Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) in the UPA Government from 2012 to 2014.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan later founded the JSP and offered outside support to the BJP-TDP combine in the 2014 elections, which had led to the defeat of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Since the beginning, the BJP has been lacking a face in the State and Mr. Chiranjeevi, though many consider him to be a spent force, may still make a difference in the Kapu belt.
YSRCP plenary
The other incident that had brought to fore the “divide” in Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family was the announcement of the resignation of his mother Vijayamma to the post of YSRCP honorary president at the party plenary.
Though it looked voluntary, Ms. Vijayamma had stated that she would support her daughter Sharmila, whose outfit, Y.S. Telangana Party, was fighting a lone battle in Telangana.
Both Ms. Vijayamma and Ms. Sharmila had stood by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Ms. Sharmila had even undertaken a gruelling 3,000-km walkathon in 2012 to motivate the party cadre and strengthen the party base when Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was in jail. But after the YSRCP came to power, Ms. Sharmila seemed to have fallen from favour.
One has to wait and watch if Ms. Vijayamma’s resignation will turn out to be a political setback for Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the future.
Murmu’s visit
NDA’s presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the State to garner support of the political parties is another incident that throws light on the prevailing political climate.
Ms. Droupadi won the support of both the YSRCP and the TDP, which gave an impression that both the parties were trying to cozy up to the BJP and had no desire to rub the saffron party up the wrong way.
