But as voters gear up for crucial assembly and parliamentary polls on May 13, all eyes are on the high-stakes battle in Pulivendula, an assembly constituency that has been a Reddy family stronghold for over four decades.
Vivekananda, the brother of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Jagan Reddy, was found dead at his residence in Pulivendula, on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the state assembly elections.
AP Minister Konda Surekha recently resigned to protest the Congress leadership's reluctance to appoint Y S Jaganmohan Reddy as Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's successor.
This will be the third plenary of the decade-old party, and the first since it came to power in Andhra Pradesh three years ago.
The campaign for making Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy, gathered pace on Friday with his supporters losing no time and taking up the issue with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
A special budget for farmers and interest-free loans for farmers and women are among the welfare programmes announced by Kadapa member of Parliament Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, which he said his YSR Congress Party would implement if it comes to power.
YS Sharmila said the outfits name, agenda and other details would be announced on July 8.
The incumbent ministers put in their papers at the meeting of the cabinet, which was their last, at the secretariat in Amaravati.
Many in the rallies Y S Sharmila Reddy has been addressing feel that she would be a better chief ministerial candidate than her mother in case Jaganmohan Reddy is not out of jail, reports Vicky Nanjappa
Ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam MLAs came to near blows inside the Andhra Pradesh assembly on Monday after Agriculture Minister Y S Vivekananda heckled two TDP MLAs as they held a placard that denigrated supporters of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Promising "Rajanna Rajyam", a state envisaged by her father and former Chief Minister of AP late Rajasekhara Reddy, in Telangana, she said the YSR Telangana Party's main agenda would be on three issues -- welfare, self-prosperity and equality.
YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and Andhra Pradesh minister J Geetha Reddy have been named in two fresh chargesheets filed in a local court by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing alleged quid pro quo investments in companies owned by the jailed Kadapa MP.
In an embarrassment for the Congress, a party MP from Andhra Pradesh loyal to YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday resigned from the Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister Dr Mammohan Singh has expresses his condolences on the tragic and untimely demise of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. In his message to the late leader's wife, Vijaya Laxmi, Dr Singh said that it was a personal loss and described the chief minister as a natural leader who was loved by the common man.
An organisational portfolio in the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress party seems to be all that Y S Jaganmohan Reddy--son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy--will get for the time being. Halting his aspirations of taking over the mantle from his father, the Congress high command has decided to continue with current Chief Minister K Rosaiah for the time being.
Claiming that the Andhra Pradesh government has been reduced to minority, the Jagan camp on Saturday dared Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and his cabinet colleagues to step down from their posts and seek a fresh mandate.
Breaking his silence on the Telangana issue, Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday said he stands for a united Andhra Pradesh and alleged that the Telugu Desam Party and its chief N Chandrababu Naidu were responsible for the current situation in the state.
Making a headstart, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother Y S Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday separately launched their campaigns for the May 8 by-elections for Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh.
IIM-A and XLRI were invited in 2008 by late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Urging the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh to dissociate itself from the allegations of corruption during late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's tenure, a party member of Parliament has also said that YSR's photographs should be stopped from being used in party's publicity material.
'There is no doubt he is with the Lord in heaven. He loved people and people poured their love on him. It was the people's love that got him elected as chief minister for a second term.'
From being the hand-picked choice of Sonia Gandhi as Andhra Pradesh chief minister to sitting on a dharna in Delhi against division of the state, Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy has turned from a Congress regional leader to a disgruntled rebel in his nearly 39-month tumultuous tenure.
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who has revolted against the Congress leadership, intends to seek re-election from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and says he is not keen on destabilising the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday served summons on Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy issued by a court last week seeking his appearance in an alleged illegal assets case.
The much-awaited decision was announced by Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah at a news conference on Wednesday.
Congress lawmakers from Telangana met senior party leader and Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday demanding disciplinary action against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for joining a Telugu Desam Party protest in Lok Sabha against the decision to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.
There have been rumours doing the rounds on social media over the past few days that Sharmila plans to start a political party in Telangana state without her brother's intervention.
Stepping up his attack on Telugu Desam Party, Congress Member of Parliament Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuedsay night alleged that there is a 'conspiracy' to defame his father and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
The fissures in the Congress over the Telangana issue came to the fore in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday when Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, along with some other party Members of Parliament, joined a Telugu Desam Party protest against the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Jaganmohan, son of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, even stormed the well of the House, joining the TDP members. The TDP members were carrying placards saying 'We want united Andhra Pradesh'.
Security was tightened at the various facilities of Anil Ambani-owned Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group in Andhra Pradesh after mobs attacked the group's offices in five districts of the state on Thursday.
Telugu Desam Party is adopting a three-pronged strategy to fight politically as well as legally the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged amassing of wealth by it chief N Chandrababu Naidu, based on a PIL filed by Y S Vijaya, wife of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday criticised the YSR Congress party chief and Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy by calling him an "opportunist". Speaking at a function in Guntur, the chief minister, who was joined by state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana in the attack against Jagan, alleged that the Kadapa MP had amassed wealth by misusing the powers of his late father and former AP chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Soon after the above government order was released, the Opposition strongly condemned the move.
Several people were injured in a stampede at the Lal Bahadur Stadium here Friday, forcing authorities to move the body of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy an hour before schedule.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy has said that providing an efficient, clean and transparent governance and improving the delivery mechanism for the benefit of the poor will be among his top priorities.
Chief Minister K Rosaiah, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi were among the top leaders who paid homage to late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Friday night. Speaking on the occasion, Rosaiah said, "Reddy had a unique personality. He always kept his word and his leadership qualities made people admire him. No surprise that he never lost an election in his long political career since 1978."
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah to New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the future of member of Parliament Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and his supporters.
The 26-member Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, has three women members; two from the Scheduled Castes and one from the Scheduled Tribes.
He came into political life with much fanfare but of late has been confronted by CBI raids and a slew of cases against him. Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa speaks to YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy.
Jagan's public statement is being seen as an indication that Sonia Gandhi had managed to settle the issue of Andhra Pradesh leadership in her hour-long discussion with Jagan and Rosaiah will remain in his post while Jagan will be given some other responsibility.