During the run-up to the Andhra Pradesh elections, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) put up an electronic board outside its office that played out one message in loop - 'Bye Bye Babu'.
And Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the founder-leader of the YSR Congress, turned those words into reality on May 23. In a landslide victory he stormed to power in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, showing the doors to veteran N Chandrababu Naidu, the outgoing chief minister and the president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
At 46, Jagan is one of the youngest chief ministers in the country.
The 69-year-old Naidu now has the unique yet unenviable distinction of losing both to father and son. He had lost to Congress leader Y S Rajashekara Reddy, popularly known as YSR, in 2004. And now to his son Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019.
Jagan was twice earlier denied the chief ministerial post. Several people had hoped that Jagan would succeed his father, when YSR was killed in a helicopter crash in 2009. However, Jagan had a fallout with the Congress high command after he decided to take out a condolence rally to the houses of those people who committed suicide, grieving his father's death. Despite the Congress' leadership’s obvious objection, Jagan went ahead with the rally. The fallout finally saw Jagan leaving Congress to start his own party - YSR Congress - in 2010. Those Congress supporters who were left in the lurch after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh flocked to the new party of their former leader's son.
Contrary to what many might assume, YSR Congress is not named after Jagan’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Instead YSR in the party name stands for 'Yuvajana, Sramika Raithu' which translates to Youth, Labour and Farmer. In the 2014 assembly polls, the YSR Congress was only one per cent short of the TDP in terms of votes. Naidu was probably saved by people who wanted a veteran to rule the state fresh out of bifurcation.
Not losing heart, Jagan sat down to do his homework. Following his father's footsteps, he then set out on Praja Sankalpa Yatra. During the padayatra, he walked 3,648km in 341 days across the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh. Just before the yatra, he had been in jail for 16 months after he was arrested by the CBI over an embezzlement case.
Professional makeover
Jagan's campaign was scripted by political strategist Prashant Kishore and his India Political Action Committee. Kishore's team marketed the youthfulness of the leader and ensured that the term 'Jagan annan' resonated throughout the state.
Even before setting up the party, Jagan reached out to the common man by starting a TV channel and newspaper. When prominent Telugu newspaper ‘E Naadu’ sided with the TDP, Jagan came up with 'Sakshi'.
Naidu attacked Jaganmohan, by taunting him for living in Hyderabad and campaigning in Andhra Pradesh. But people weren't swayed by such taunts. They rejected Naidu, who was once part of the NDA government at the Centre and later quit over Andhra special status row.
Jagan didn't make any tall claims during campaigning. He said he would only make promises that can be fulfilled. Jagan ruthlessly attacked Naidu's TDP and Pawan Kalyan's JanaSena Party during his campaigning, but refrained from following the same approach when it came to the BJP.
If the NDA had failed to win majority in the Lok Sabha polls, rumours were that Jagan would back the alliance. Jagan neither confirmed nor dismissed the rumours. By claiming that he had no hatred towards the Congress, he won over that side too.
Challenges ahead
However, Jagan has an uphill set of tasks ahead of him. The first of all would be to set up Andhra’s capital Amaravathi by River Krishna. Amaravathi currently has only some temporary offices. In Jagan's own terms, the capital is still on computer graphics.
Jagan also needs to prove that the embezzlement charges against him are false in the court of law.