A year of political earthquake

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh experienced a year of intense political turmoil as the state went to polls for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The contests were defined by fierce battles between the YSRCP and the NDA. Ultimately, the NDA, composed of the TDP, JSP and BJP achieved a resounding victo-ry.

The most pivotal pre-election development was the formation of the strong alliance. With a shared goal of defeating YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP, the coalition’s unity struck a chord with voters. The com-bined efforts of TDP, JSP and BJP led to a tsunami of votes in which YSRCP was washed out.

Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government faced severe anti-incumbency sentiment. Discontent among various groups, including government employees and the youth, contributed to the erosion of YSRCP’s support base. Frustration over stalled development and lack of job opportunities weakened Jagan’s appeal, while his focus on Backward Classes (BC) failed to retain their loyalty.

The controversial arrest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development case further backfired on YSRCP. Public outrage over Naidu’s 53-day impris-onment rallied support for the NDA. JSP leader Pawan Kalyan’s strategic move to visit Naidu in jail and came out with a decisive stand to form an alli-ance with TDP ensuring BJP’s participation in the alli-ance prevented the anti-YSRCP vote from splitting.

The electorate’s faith in Chandrababu Naidu’s leader-ship and vision for development was pivotal. His promise to attract investments and rebuild the state resonated deeply. The NDA’s ‘double-engine’ pitch – a BJP-led government at the Centre and an NDA government in the state – also appealed to voters.

YSRCP’s tenure was marred by law and order issues and the rise of liquor, sand, and land mafias, leading to public frustration. The party’s perceived vendettas against political rivals, internal dissent, and family disputes further damaged Jagan’s image. His sister, YS Sharmila Reddy and cousin, Sunitha Reddy, open-ly criticised his leadership, amplifying these griev-ances.

Regionally, YSRCP’s dominance crumbled. In Rayalaseema, the party won only seven out of 52 seats. The NDA gained traction in the coastal re-gions, especially Krishna and Guntur districts, where the Amaravati capital issue favoured them. The YSRCP’s proposal for three capitals failed to gain support even in North Andhra. Missteps in candidate selection also weakened the party’s chances.

In contrast, NDA’s strategic voter mobilisation and promises resonated. Naidu’s pledge for better quality liquor at reasonable prices struck a chord with voters dissatisfied by Jagan’s liquor policies. The coalition’s ‘Super Six’ promises and effective seat-sharing solidi-fied their support.

The election results were staggering. In the Assem-bly polls, the NDA won 164 out of 175 seats, with TDP securing 135 out of 144 contested seats, JSP winning all 21 seats and BJP taking 8 out of 10. YSRCP managed only 11 seats, a stark contrast to their 152-seat win in 2019. The Lok Sabha results mirrored this shift. The NDA won 21 out of 25 seats, leaving YSRCP with just four seats.

Pawan Kalyan’s victory in Pithapuram and his ap-pointment as Deputy Chief Minister underscored his successful political comeback who lost both the seats he contested in 2019. The new cabinet reflected the coalition’s composition: TDP took 21 ministries, JSP 3 and BJP 1. Chandrababu Naidu, now serving his fourth term as Chief Minister, led the NDA’s resur-gence and began his mission of redeveloping the state with intense speed.

January

Jan 8

Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said that 5.64 lakh votes were removed illegally in the state. He also announced that action will be taken against 50 booth-level officers for their commissions and omissions in revision of rolls.

Jan 19

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy unveiled the world’s tallest Ambedkar statue in Vijayawada. The Statue of Social Justice, standing at 206 feet from the ground, includes an 81-foot pedestal and a 125-foot statue of Ambedkar. It is located in Swaraj Maidan, covering an area of 18.81 acres and built at a cost of 404.35 crore.

Jan 21

Y S Sharmila, sister of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy takes oath as Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president in Vijayawada. She accused the CM of pushing AP into debt trap by piling up Rs 6 lakh crore loans in addition to Rs 2 lakh debts availed by the TDP government led by N Chandrababu Naidu.

Jan 23

Anganwadi workers called off their 42-day strike after reaching an agreement with the state govern-ment. The strike was called off after the government agreed to address 10 of the workers’ 11 de-mands.

Jan 24

The state government issues orders declaring the village and ward secretariats as joint sub-registrar offices. Panchayat secretaries and ward administration secretaries in the secretariats have been rec-ognized as joint sub-registrars in the order. Already, 10 types of services are being provided in the vil-lage and ward secretariats. From now on, the village and ward secretariats will serve as joint sub-registrar offices.

Feb 7

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy tabled a vote-on-account budget of Rs 2.86 lakh crore for fiscal 2024-25 in the Legislative Assembly , with a revenue expenditure of Rs 2.3 lakh crore. The Fi-nance Minister estimated the capital expenditure for fiscal 2024-25 at Rs 30,530 crore and pegged the revenue deficit at Rs 24,758 crore.

Feb 8

The Andhra Pradesh CID filed a charge sheet against TDP president and former chief minister N. Chan-drababu Naidu and others in the ‘Amaravati Inner Ring Road and Master Plan’ case. The CID officials filed the charge-sheet in the court of III Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases in Vijayawada.

Feb 12

The state government issues schedule for DSC to fill 6,100 posts. Candidates who completed B.Ed and D.Ed are eligible for the posts. These posts include 2,280 secondary grade teacher posts, 2,299 school assistant, 1,264 trained graduate teacher, 215 PGT and 42 principal posts.

Feb 28

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan address a joint public meeting in Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district. Both leaders stresses the need to defeat ‘demonic’ gov-ernment of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to save the state.

March 9

BJP, TDP and Jana Sena Party through a joint statement officially announced that they would be fighting the 2024 Lok Sabha and the concurrently held Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh.The joint statement initiated by BJP president J P Nadda but also issued on behalf of TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan of JSP came after three days of talks between the three parties in New Delhi.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court delivered a verdict cancelling the Group-I (Mains) exam held in De-cember 2020, stating that conducting valuation of the answer scripts multiple times was illegal. The state government vowed to appeal decision.

March 16

YSRCP announces candidates for all 175 constituencies and 24 Lok Sabha seats. Fifty-percent of the total seats (Lok Sabha and Assembly, i.e 100 seats, 84 MLA and 16 MP) were allotted to the BC, SC, ST and minority communities.

March 18

After almost a decade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and JSP chief K Pawan Kalyan came together for a public meeting at Chilakaluripeta in Palnadu district. In the first first meeting of three parties, the PM in his speech terms Congress and YSRCP ‘pieces of same cloth’.

April

April 13

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy suffered minor injury after being hit by stone at Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada. Jagan received an injury on forehead while MLA V Srinivas was hurt in left eye in the incident. YSRCP accused TDP of being behind the attack, which the Opposition party denied.

April 18

Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said that the nominations for the 175 Assembly Constit-uencies and 25 Parliamentary Constituencies in Andhra Pradesh are being accepted from April 18 on-wards across the state. Contesting of candidate are allowed to file a maximum of four sets of papers and each candidate can file affidavits in maximum at two constituencies.

April 30

TDP, Jana Sena release their election manifesto with Super Six promises, including Mega DSC, free bus travel for women, three free gas cylinders in a year, Talliki Vandanam among others. The combined manifest of TDP and JSP was released at the residence of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Undavalli, with Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and BJP’s Andhra Pradesh in-charge Sidharth Nath Singh in attend-ance.

April 23

The Election Commission of India ordered the transfer of two top officers in Andhra Pradesh, weeks before the polls on May 13. The ECI has ordered the transfer of Intelligence chief P Sitaramanjaneyulu, and Vijayawada commissioner of police Kanthi Rana Tata.

May 13

AP Assembly elections held in a single-phase election, where voters decided 175 Assembly seats alongside 25 Lok Sabha constituencies. The ruling YSRCP, led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, faced a significant challenge from the alliance of TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Party. Notable contests include Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bid for re-election from Pulivendula and N Chandrababu Naidu contesting from Kuppam.

May 20

Incidents of post-poll violence escalated in several districts including Anantapur, Palnadu and Tirupati. Tensions between supporters of the ruling YSRCP and TDP led to assaults, property damage, and arson. This unrest followed the State Assembly and Parliamentary elections held on May 13.

June 12

TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the Chief Minister of residual Andhra Pradesh for the second time on June 12 at Kesarapalle close to Gannavaram near Vijayawada. This is the fourth time that Naidu will be serving as CM in his more than four decades of political career. He served as Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh twice, and this is the second time in residual AP.

June 13

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu signed five files related to the election promise, immediately after assuming office at the Secretariat in Amaravati on June 13. They are: issuing DSC notification for filling 16,347 teacher posts; withdrawal of AP Land Titling Act brought by YSRCP government; enhancing social security pension to Rs 4,000; re-viving Anna Canteens across the State to provide quality food at Rs 5; and conducting a Skill Census to upgrade the skillset of the youth in the State.

June 23

A major fire broke out at the Sub-Collector’s office in Madanapalle, Annamayya district, causing extensive damage to the building and destroying vital documents related to land holdings and government departments. Despite the destruction of physical records, digital cop-ies remain intact. Suspicion surrounds the event, as it happened amid ongoing allegations of corruption and unauthorised land acquisitions during the previous administration.

JULY

July 23

The Union Budget 2024 has allocated Rs 15,000 crore for the devel-opment of Amaravati and committed full central funding for Polava-ram Irrigation Project.

July 27

HRD and IT minister Nara Lokesh has confirmed the use of a ‘Red Book’, documenting alleged wrongdoers, who harassed TDP cadre during the previous YSRCP administration, and also names of the offi-cials, who engaged in corruption, harassment, or law violations. This sparked heated political debates and media attention as the govern-ment promised to take action against those named in the book.

August 10

The 19th crest gate of T

August 10

The 19th crest gate of Tungabhadra dam in Karnataka’s Hospet was washed away, while trying to close the gates as floodwaters began to recede. This led to an immediate release of nearly one lakh cusecs of water from all 33 gates of the dam, heightening the risk of flooding in surrounding regions, particularly in parts of Andhra Pradesh like Kur-nool and Nandyal.

August 22

At least 17 workers were killed and 20 others sustained burns in a ma-jor fire that broke out after a reactor blast in Escientia Advanced Sci-ences Private Ltd. at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli on August 22. The company manufactures intermediate chemicals and pharmaceutical ingredients.

August 23

The State government has organised Gram Sabhas in 13,326 villages on August 23 to approve projects under the MGNREGS scheme, mark-ing a historic effort to strengthen Panchayat Raj system. The World Records Union (WRU) recognised the conduct of Grama Sabhas in 13,326 villages on a single day as a world-record feat.

September

Sept 28

AP and Karnataka ink MoU to address wildlife and forest man-agement challenges. The Karnataka government to train 25 ma-houts and kavadis identified by the AP government to improve their skills in handling and managing Kumki elephants which will help in driving away wild elephants from agri fields to forests.

Oct 13

Chief Minister N Chandrabab

Oct 13

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the State government will establish an innovation hub in Amaravati which will be named after late business tycoon Ratan Tata.

Oct 23

Skies above Punnami Ghat lit up in a spectacular fashion as AP hosted the largest drone show in India during the Amaravati Drone Summit 2024. With 5,500 drones in the air, the show set five Guinness World Records, captivating thousands of spectators gathered along the banks of the Krishna River.

Oct 24

Minister for education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh held a meeting with Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang in Mumbai.

Nov 18

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly

Nov 18

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed seven significant Bills, fo-cusing on reforms in local governance, healthcare and coopera-tive sectors. These legislative changes are designed to stream-line administration and improve service delivery across various sectors in the State.

Nov 21

Assembly approves Bill to withdraw garbage collection tax. The government will launch an inquiry into how the YSRCP govern-ment had benefited contractors by imposing garbage collection tax, said Municipal Administration Minister.

Nov 28

Andhra Pradesh has launched the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) to combat ganja and drug trafficking statewide. With 459 personnel, this special task force will focus on the eradication of drugs, including cannabis cultivation, smuggling, and consumption. This decision was taken by a Cab-inet Sub-Committee.

Nov 29

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan flags ‘security lapses’ at Ka-kinada-based ports, sees threat to national security. Vowing to dismantle the ‘deep-rooted network’ of illegal PDS rice exporters operating from these ports, Pawan says he will take it up with the Union Home Ministry; the Cabinet will decide whether to ini-tiate a CID or CBI probe into the illegal activities, he says.

December

Dec 1

The State government announced that the State Waqf Board was dissolved due to certain concerns and that a new Board will be constituted at the earliest.

Dec 5

Andhra Pradesh govt tied up with Google for harnessing AI tech. Ease of living is the basic policy of the government, and the main goal is to provide services in the least possible time using advanced technologies, says IT Minister Nara Lokesh.

Dec 11

The State government approv

Dec 11

The State government approved the Maritime Policy 2024 with a target to achieve at least one port ranked among the top 20 global ports and to attain 20% of total cargo handled by all In-dian Ports by 2047.

Dec 16

The State government approves works worth Rs 24,276 crore in capital city of Amaravati. Assembly and High Court buildings will be built at a total cost of Rs 1,814 crore and Rs 4,688 crore will be spent on construction of five iconic towers, says MA&UD Min-ister P Narayana.