The beleaguered Congress in Andhra Pradesh is witnessing a renewed all out war between the loyalists and the opponents of late chief minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy.
A political novice, YSRC's M Gurumoorthy defeated former Union Minister of State Panabaka Lakshmi of the TDP by a margin of over 14 per cent votes.
The TDP and Janasena, which won 16 and two Lok Sabha seats respectively from Andhra Pradesh, will play a crucial role in government formation at the Centre.
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.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's tally in Rajya Sabha has dipped below 90 for the first time in several years but the party and its allies are expected to not only recoup the their losses but also make some gains when by-elections to fill the existing vacancies are held in the coming weeks.
A united opposition is set to corner the NDA government on issues ranging from the NEET paper leak case to railway safety.
Jaishankar briefed the leaders of all parties about the situation in the violence-hit nation and the steps taken by the Indian government.
Thousands of people, led by Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy, paid tribute to his father and late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Dr Y S Rajashekhar Reddy on his death anniversary on Thursday.
A day after YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was sent to jail in connection with the disproportionate assets case, leader of opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu went hammers and tongs against the YSR family alleging that they indulged in the biggest corruption in the history of India.
YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to leaders of various parties seeking their support for the motion.
The BJP, which contested more seats this time than in 2019 but is likely to fall short of the magic figure of 272, garnered 36.91 per cent of the total votes polled, a drop of around 0.39 percentage points as of 6.15 pm.
Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reacted to Andhra Pradesh counterpart Pawan Kalyan's out-of-turn taunts with a one-liner, 'Let's wait', and thereby hangs a tale, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
BJP will find it tougher to push contentious Bills, especially those that would require Constitutional amendments, without the support of its allies and cooperation from the Opposition.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy "three-days mission" to Delhi from Sunday is a politically sensitive one. His stay in Delhi for three days inidcates that he has serious business with the All India Congress Committee.
Senior YSR Congress party leader Shobha Nagi Reddy succumbed to multiple injuries after she met with an accident in the wee hours in Kurnool district.
The increased numbers of the Opposition bloc would mean that their MPs are likely to head several more panels than the four that they did by the end of the term of the 17th Lok Sabha.
If Naidu returns to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, he will be the second major regional leader to have done so after Janata Dal-United president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the opposition and joined its fold last month.
The humiliation for the Telugu Desam Party was such that it could cross the double digit in only five urban local bodies while other opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena Partymade little gains.
Many experts are firm that YSR Congress party will sweep the next Andhra Pradesh elections; however, it seems highly unlikely that its chief Jaganmohan Reddy will disentangle himself from the legal mess he finds himself in anytime soon. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Unlike the previous visit, where TDP MPs accompanied Naidu to meetings, sources termed the current visit as "low profile", with one-on-one meetings with key Union ministers.
''The fact that a huge crowd came when he had filed his nomination indicates his popularity,'' says Anjaneyulu of Pulivendla. ''He has cinema star-like glamour. As far as Cuddapah is considered, he is the king.''
The power struggle in Andhra Pradesh Congress party continuing since the sudden death of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is fast heading towards its climax as there are indications that the party's central leadership will invite YSR's son and a claimant of CM's gaddi Jaganmohan Reddy to Delhi to strike out a compromise formula.
'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.'
YSR Congress Party honorary president Y S Vijayalakshmi began her indefinite fast against the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh and accused TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu of having a tacit understanding with Congress on the separate statehood issue.
He asked if DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, "who speaks of Tamil culture, such a serious allegation has been made--will DMK snap ties with Congress, for Tamil pride and the Tamil people."
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is contesting from Pulivendula constituency is the son of former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
Despite failing to secure a simple majority in Parliament, we will continue to see him on TV, newspapers, magazines, bill boards, vaccination certificates, railway stations, bus shelters, airports, sea ports, on the highway and on rural roads, sighs A Ganesh Nadar.
'There is also a possibility that Andhra Pradesh may demand a similar package. But as of now, we are only working on a package for Bihar.'
The ongoing battle in Seema-Andhra is clearly between the Telegu Desam Party and the YSR Congress. Both parties are doing their best to seize the advantage and the misery of the Congress which is now being accused of splitting the state. Vicky Nanjappa reports
'Chandrababu is wiser and a very good administrator.' 'Jagan is the opposite. He is not very wise, not a good administrator.'
Chandrababu Naidu's victory comes barely eight months after his political career seemingly crashed in September 2023 when the YSRCP government arrested him in an alleged corruption case.
Speaking at a party meeting, Sharmila said she waited for four months for a response from the Congress leadership on her proposal to merge her party or work with the grand old party.
Although the ongoing padayatra of YSR Congress Party led by Sharmila in the absence of party chief Jaganmohan Reddy has managed to attract huge crowds in Kadapa, the real challenge for her and her party will begin once the padayatra steps out of the home turf, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
An interesting press note by jailed Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress party alleging that Central Bureau of Investigation Joint Director J D Laxminaryana was constantly in touch with a "mysterious woman" to spread anti-Jagan propaganda, was issued on Thursday.
Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu's convoy was on Saturday allegedly stoned by supporters of YSR Congress party when he was addressing a road show as part of the by-election campaign at Lingala in Kadapa district.
YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday faced the Telangana heat on the second day of his party's plenary session even as the newly-formed outfit sought to steer clear of the contentious issue by blaming the Congress for the current imbroglio.
A call made by Mamata Banerjee to Vijayamma, wife of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Dr Y S Rajashekhar Reddy and mother of Jagan Mohan Reddy, is adding frown lines to the faces of Congress and Telegu Desam Party leaders alike.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party falling short of a majority in the Lok Sabha and needing the National Democratic Alliance partners to form the government at the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United head Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party's N Chandrababu Naidu have emerged as potential kingmakers.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief J P Nadda and new party entrant Ashok Chavan and Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan were among the 41 candidates elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha on Tuesday while Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh will witness polling on February 27.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances