Political watchers in Andhra Pradesh would have noticed that Opposition TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu never lets pass an opportunity to speak of the possibility of snap elections in the state. And, each and every time, the ruling YSRCP denies any such move.
In the most recent instance, Naidu, while interacting with cadres on a tour of the coastal districts, asked them to be prepared because Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, facing anti-incumbency and a dire financial situation, was considering snap elections.
The rebuttal was immediate, this time from Jagan’s top aide Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, who said the government was not going anywhere and would serve its full term.
Both the general election and Assembly polls are slated for 2024, a good 16 months from now.
So why does Naidu keep floating the idea of snap elections? According to a TDP insider, Naidu uses it to motivate party workers who were completely dispirited by the party’s stunning and comprehensive loss in the 2019 polls — both to Parliament and the Assembly.
Also, with the YSRCP government mounting an onslaught on TDP leaders by slapping cases on them day in and day out, he hopes that talk of an early election and possible victory will stanch the outflow of workers from the party and help those who remain come out of their post-defeat stupor.
Which is why he, other TDP leaders, and the media outlets that support them keep repeating the message.
