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Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
Polling is underway for 175 Assembly seats in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as it undergoes a crucial electoral battle on Monday (May 13) along with Lok Sabha elections. The outcome will determine whether the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), the incumbent regional party in power, will retain its position or be ousted. Concurrently, all 25 Lok Sabha seats of Andhra Pradesh are also witnessing voting in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) recorded a voter turnout of 63.04% in Phase 4 of the current Lok Sabha elections. Andhra Pradesh recorded voter turnout of 68.20%.
Key contenders in the assembly polls include Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy from Pulivendula Assembly seat, Janasena chief and actor Pawan Kalyan from Pithapuram, TDP supremo and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu from Kuppam.
The ruling YSRCP is contesting in all 175 Assembly seats, while the TDP is fighting on 144 as part of a seat-sharing deal with NDA, with which the regional party joined hands in March and asserted that it will be a "sweep". As part of the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance, BJP is contesting from 10 Assembly seats while Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena is vying for 21 assembly seats.
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In the previous Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election of 2019, the YSR Congress Party secured a significant victory, winning 151 out of 175 Assembly seats and forming the state government with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as the chief minister.
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Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, after casting his vote in the Kadapa constituency, said, “You have seen the governance in the last 5 years and if you think you have benefitted from this governance then vote for that governance which would lead to a brighter future…”
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Andhra Pradesh Election Promises
Addressing the issue of capital, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asserted on May 7 that Visakhapatnam would be made the executive capital of the state if the YSRCP secured another term.
The election campaign included diverse concerns, with the ruling YSR Congress banking on its welfare schemes, particularly in rural and tribal areas, while the NDA is fighting elections on issues such as inflation, unemployment and development.
A total of 2,387 candidates are in the fray for the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. The state has a total of 4.14 crore (41.4 million) voters, comprising 2.02 crore (20.2 million) males, 2.1 (21 million)crore females, 3,421 third-gender voters, and 68,185 service electors.
(With inputs from agencies)