Published Mar 13, 2026 | 3:04 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 13, 2026 | 3:04 PM
N Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. (X)
Synopsis: The YSRCP seems to have assigned the Sakshi Media Group the task of wooing the national media. The response has been mixed since the party had rubbed many a senior journalist the wrong way when it was in power in Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, TDP is having a smooth relationship with the national media, with Nara Lokesh building up on the goodwill his father and chief minister had created.
Ten days ago, a senior journalist with a leading newspaper in New Delhi received a call from a YSR Congress (YSRCP) member, seeking an audience. The unexpected call, almost two years after the party’s defeat in Andhra Pradesh in June 2024, left the journalist wondering about the purpose behind the request.
A deeper probe has now revealed a quiet but intense battle unfolding in the corridors of Delhi’s national media houses as both sides — the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Opposition YSRCP have begun actively courting the country’s most influential editors and journalists.
Insiders say having recognised that the party has been losing the perception battle in the national media ecosystem, the YSRCP leadership has deployed Sunita Reddy, who heads the editorial side of Sakshi TV, to manage the engagement with national media.
Over the past fortnight, she has been holding meetings with editors and senior journalists across major publications and television networks. Sunita reports directly to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSRCP head, and his wife, YS Bharathi, who looks after the operations of Sakshi media group.
According to journalists familiar with the meetings, the YSRCP representatives had to hear some harsh feedback from editors telling them that the party largely ignored the national media during its five years in power in Andhra Pradesh.
“It’s only now that you are trying to rebuild the relationship,” was the refrain.
An editor of a national channel had earlier openly complained about the YSRCP government filing cases against him and the channel over a hashtag campaign aired by the network.
A senior editor, who now runs a digital platform, apparently did not forget that Sakshi had stopped his syndicated column after he had penned an article critical of the YSRCP government before it had lost power.
However, there is another side to the story. A prominent woman national media editor, who shares a longstanding relationship with Jagan Mohan Reddy, is believed to be in touch with the YSRCP supremo even now.
According to sources, this editor had earlier submitted internal political surveys during the 2024 election cycle predicting a landslide for Jagan’s party — projections that turned out to be dramatically off the mark when the results came in.
While YSRCP is attempting to rebuild bridges, its rival has been playing a much longer game.
Nara Lokesh, seen as the political heir within the TDP, has been cultivating relationships with Delhi’s media ecosystem since 2023 — particularly during the turbulent period following the arrest of his father, N Chandrababu Naidu.
Lokesh has made it a point to meet editors during nearly every visit to the capital. The personal interactions, combined with the legacy networks built by Chandrababu Naidu over decades in national politics, have helped the TDP maintain strong lines of communication with influential newsrooms.
Naidu himself has long-standing relationships with many senior editors dating back to the 1990s, when he emerged as one of India’s most high-profile chief ministers.
In Delhi’s media circles, perception often matters as much as politics.
For YSRCP, the challenge now is not just to regain lost ground but to overcome the sentiment among journalists that the party kept national media at arm’s length during its tenure in power.
TDP, on the other hand, invested years in nurturing relationships that now translate into greater access and visibility.
Whether YSRCP’s late push — spearheaded by its Sakshi leadership — will be enough to narrow the gap remains to be seen.
What is certain is that the political contest between Andhra Pradesh’s two major parties is no longer confined to Amaravati or Vijayawada. It’s being played out in the newsrooms of New Delhi.
