YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Faces Historic Defeat in 2024 AP Election
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, typically regarded as a shrewd politician, experienced a significant setback as his party, the YSR Congress Party (YCP), suffered a historic defeat in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh election. Despite his strategic acumen, Reddy’s misjudgment of two key figures—Pawan Kalyan and Prashant Kishor—played a crucial role in this outcome.
Firstly, Reddy underestimated Pawan Kalyan, dismissing him to the extent of not even mentioning his name in speeches, referring to him only as “Datta Pautrudu.” This lack of recognition for Kalyan as a serious political contender proved costly, as Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP) secured an impressive victory, winning 21 out of 21 MLA seats and 2 out of 2 MP seats. In contrast, YCP managed to secure only 11 out of 175 MLA seats and 4 out of 25 MP seats.
Secondly, Prashant Kishor, a pivotal strategist for Reddy in the 2019 election, also contributed to Reddy’s downfall. Kishor, instrumental in YCP’s previous success, predicted a significant defeat for Reddy in 2024, criticizing Reddy’s belief that monetary incentives would secure votes. Despite Kishor’s warnings, Reddy and his associates, including Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, dismissed Kishor’s comments as baseless.
Ultimately, Reddy’s underestimation of both Pawan Kalyan and Prashant Kishor resulted in a dramatic shift in the political landscape, with Kalyan’s JSP emerging as a dominant force in the Andhra Pradesh assembly, validating Kishor’s predictions.
