YSRCP, TDP confident of winning Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls: Jagan banks on women voters, Naidu on discontent

Both sides acknowledge that certain issues need to be addressed or have been successfully tackled.

The ruling YSRCP relies on its pillars of “welfare and trust”, while the TDP, in alliance with the JSP and the BJP, banks on highlighting “lack of development”, inflation, and criticism of Jagan’s policies regarding sand and wine.

Related: Will welfare mantra do the trick for Jagan in Andhra Pradesh this time?

YSRCP relies on women voters

The YSRCP spokesperson and AP Trade Promotion Corporation Limited (APTPC) Chairman K Ravichandra Reddy told South First that the party was leading among women voters, according to various reports it had received.

Women constitute around 1.69 crore out of the 3.38 crore votes cast for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on 13 May.

He emphasised that although YS Jagan did not introduce any new elements in the party’s manifesto, it resonates with women voters because they trust Jagan to fulfil his promises.

Reddy highlighted that the TDP lacks the trust of women voters due to its past actions, including unfulfilled promises from 2014 and the removal of the manifesto from its website after coming to power.

He acknowledged that the YSRCP prospects have been dented in the development and land title act fronts — both of which have been rigorously backed by the TDP.

He explained that, despite four ports under construction — Bhavanapadu, Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, and Narsapur — and key companies like Infosys coming to Vizag, more focus on welfare schemes had diverted attention from development.

He further said, “TDP, with its narrative over the Andhra Pradesh Land Title Act, created a negative image of the party, suggesting it would seize lands. This is despite they being a partner of the NDA, and the AP Land Title Act was solely based on the recommendations of the NITI Aayog.”

He added that many reports to the party suggested that these issues would subside, and the narrative of progress and welfare under Jagan prevailed on polling day.

Another leader of the party, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the party has not been able to focus on “poll management” in the coastal and North Andhra districts, which are crucial for retaining power.

He referred to poll management as mobilising voters to the booths and attracting swing voters from other sections.

Related: Feasible or not, welfarism trumps development pitch in AP elections

Discontent against Jagan will lead TDP

“Name any policy he introduced, and discontent against Jagan is clear among the public,” said the TDP spokesperson K Pattabhi Ram to South First. Pattabhi stated that TDP is banking on voter discontent, primarily due to unemployment and lack of development.

He pointed out that there are reports indicating public discontent regarding more than 400 promises Jagan made during his Padayatra as an opposition leader, none of which have been implemented so far, except for the nine welfare schemes.

He added, “Within his nine welfare schemes, many are only partially fulfilled, like house sites, and others, like the ban on alcohol, are unfulfilled.”

However, another party leader, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the party performed better than expected. “Yet, giving tickets to debutants, particularly around 20 candidates in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, against seasoned YSRCP members remains a test, as they did not meet expectations,” he added.

Regarding alliances, he mentioned that the TDP tried but failed to garner support from the Muslim and Christian communities due to its association with the BJP.

However, he hinted that the party is satisfied with the election-day outcome, noting that the poll management was effective, with no complaints from the TDP about re-polling in any booths, unlike in 2019 when it contested alone without the BJP.

“As far as trust among voters is concerned, reports to the party indicate that many women are unhappy with inflation. Whether they are working or homemakers, they run the household, and the assumption that women are voting for the YSRCP is untrue,” he noted.

Citing a post-poll survey underway by his team, an associate of TDP further added, “Due to the poor sand policy, there are no works, and illicit alcohol is prevalent—across all genders, people are against the incumbent and are with us in this fight against Jagan.”