Don’t want to lose single MLA or activist, Jagan tells party cadres, nixing snap polls speculation

As per schedule, Andhra Pradesh is supposed to go for polls after the completion of the current government's five-year term, in April/May 2024.

BySNV Sudhir

Published Apr 04, 2023 | 2:04 AM ⚊UpdatedApr 04, 2023 | 3:42 PM

On 3 April, Jagan held a workshop attended by MLAs, ministers, coordinators, regional coordinators, and district unit presidents of the YSRCP. (Screengrab/Twitter)

On 3 April, Jagan held a workshop attended by MLAs, ministers, coordinators, regional coordinators, and district unit presidents of the YSRCP. (Screengrab/Twitter)

“Polls are just a year away and every MLA and party leader should work hard, improve their graph to win all the 175 Assembly seats,” YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy told his party leaders on Monday, 3 April.

With this, he put to rest speculations that Andhra Pradesh would go to polls early — in December — along with Telangana.

As per schedule, Andhra Pradesh is supposed to go for polls after the completion of the current government’s five-year term in April-May 2024.

Addressing his party cadres

However, there were reports over the last few days that Jagan was planning to go for early polls as he was feeling jittery following the jolt the party received in the recently-concluded graduates’ constituency MLC polls.

The claim was that he wanted to contain the anti-incumbency factor by going for early polls after dissolving the Assembly.

Jagan held a workshop on Monday, attended by MLAs, ministers, coordinators, regional coordinators, and district unit presidents of the YSRCP, to review the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam initiative and also discuss another party outreach programme “Jagananna Ma Bhavishyathu” (loose translation: Jagananna is Our Future), which will be held from 7 to 14 April.

It also appeared that he had softened his tone and tenor towards party MLAs.

Jagan said he did not want to leave behind even a single MLA, even a single worker.

“Okkarini kuda vadulukonu. Okka MLA ni, okka karyakarthani kuda vadulukonu,” said Jagan, while interacting with his party MLAs.

The chief minister said, ”What I learned from my father in politics is that politics means human relations. I don’t want to lose any MLA and not even a single activist. My intention is very clear and I am initiating several programmes to make all the MLAs win again.”

He also asked the MLAs not to trust the propaganda being carried out by the yellow media.

Also read: Jagan chairs first YSRCP meeting after setback in MLC elections

Working for the people

Several crore people depend on the government for their welfare, said Jagan at the meeting.

If MLAs do not work in the right way, if their image is not correct among the people, it would be a loss to the party and the cadre, he stated.

“If we are not blessed into power, crores of people will suffer. That’s why the MLAs have to increase their graph. In order for the graph to increase, it should be remembered that elections will be conducted within a year,” he said.

Keeping this in mind, the MLAs should vigorously participate in the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme to increase their graph among the people, said Jagan.

“My duty is to disburse the funds to various welfare schemes through DBT (direct benefit transfer), and the MLAs should reach out to the people. If both are done effectively, winning 175 Assembly seats is not impossible,” he reiterated.

What this meeting signifies 

The meeting on Monday assumed significance in the wake of the ruling YSRCP facing its first electoral defeat since the 2019 Assembly polls — in the recently held MLC polls under the graduates’ segments.

Also, four of its MLAs cross-voted for the Opposition TDP candidate in Legislative Council polls held under the MLAs quota. The YSRCP subsequently suspended the four MLAs who cross-voted.

TDP leaders claimed at least 16 YSRCP MLAs were in touch with them and wanted to switch sides.

The suspended MLAs said that many legislators are unhappy and feeling suffocated due to the lack of internal democracy in the ruling YSRCP and the autocratic way of functioning of the party’s leadership.

It is against this backdrop that Jagan came face-to-face with the party MLAs.

Also read: Jagan asks cadre to tell public ‘Jagananna is our future’

MLC polls in rearview mirror?

Commenting on the results of the MLC elections, the chief minister said that out of 21 seats, the YSRCP won 17.

However, he noted that the “yellow media” was projecting it such that the TDP has won all the MLC seats.

”We are fighting with demons whose intention is to project baseless facts,” he said.

One MLC seat means 34-39 constituencies. Each Assembly segment has at least 2.5 lakh voters. That means the seat of MLC will have a range of around 80 lakh votes.

In such a scenario, 87 percent of the families benefitted through the schemes being implemented by the government through DBT.

“All other parties joined their hands for MLC elections and YSRCP contested alone. However, the Telugu Desam Party did not win with first priority. It all happened because the second preference vote was transferred, because they all are joined together. This doesn’t affect YSRCP at all. Even so, the yellow media is projecting the victory in MLC elections as Chandrababu Naidu’s strength. More rumours will circulate in the coming days and they are also projecting that a list is being readied for which tickets will not be given to 50-60 MLAs and carrying out false propaganda against each MLA,” he rued.

The chief minister advised the party cadre to counter-attack the rumours being carried out by the yellow media in every village and constituency. He termed Chandrababu Naidu as a mask and the yellow media, including Pawan Kalyan, as demons and was supported by a gang of dacoits.

“’Dochuko Pachuko Tinuko’ (Plunder, Stash & Devour) was stranded after YSRCP came to power. All of them are supporting Naidu to implement DPT besides DBT initiated by the YSRCP,” he said.

With elections to be conducted in a year, several developments will happen and called on the party cadre to be proactive by making the best use of social media by launching various campaigns, the chief minister said.

Also read: Second-preference votes show BJP cadres prefer TDP to YSRCP

The schemes that are soon to come 

Jagan also said that the government will launch the “Jaganannaku Chebudam” programme on 13 April to listen to the grievances of the public and resolve them possibly on the spot.

He said that “Jaganannaku Chebudam” will start to solve individual grievances on ration cards and other problems in the villages. People can directly report their grievances to the Chief Minister’s Office through a dedicated phone line.

The chief minister said that a previous review on Gadapa Gadapaku was held on 13 February. After that, there was a gap in the programme due to the MLC election code, which continued till 16 March. Later, the Assembly sessions were held, followed by the disbursement of funds to the self-help group (SHG) women under the Aasara programme Due to this, there was a little gap in reaching out to people through the programme, he said.

Asking the MLAs to pull up their socks, he said that MLAs should participate vigorously and reach out to the public through the mass contact programme. Setting a new record in the country, the state government has disbursed ₹2 lakh crore through DBT under various welfare schemes, without giving any scope for corruption.

The “Jagananne Maa Bhavishyath” campaign would be launched on 7 April and will be continued till 20 April. Secretariat conveners and Gruha Saaradhulu should be combined and initiate the programme, the chief minister said.

“We are uniting our system in the village and carrying out a programme to take the government welfare schemes and development initiatives to each and every doorstep in the state,” he said.

Also Read: TDP set to gain from anti-incumbency

‘Half the secretariats have been completed’

The chief minister said that the party cadre should make every beneficiary as a campaigner. Every beneficiary needs to be a campaigner and the benefits done to them should be shared with others. The Gadapa Gadapaku programme has been completed in almost half of the secretariats.

The remaining half should be completed in the next five months, he said. Nine secretariats should be completed per month and 25 days per month should be visited in the secretariats. If the programmes is completed by September, other programmes will start from then on, he added.

On the one hand, the Gadapa Gadapaku will be continued and, on the other hand, programmes will also be carried out through Secretariat conveners and Gruha Saaradhulu, and a plan of action will be drafted by the party, he said.

In rural areas, welfare schemes are given to families whose income is less than ₹10,000 per month and to families whose income is less than ₹12,000 in urban areas. Considering the welfare of the people and to implement schemes, the government has enhanced the income limit for the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category in rural areas to ₹10,000 per month from ₹5,000 and from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 per month in urban areas.

Also read: Welfare takes centre-stage as Buggana presents AP budget

Tags:  

Recommended For You

Latest News

Top News