YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is making every effort to rejuvenate his party and gear up for the next elections, is reportedly on the lookout for a seasoned political strategist to help him return to power.
The YSRCP suffered a devastating defeat in the 2024 elections, winning just 11 out of 175 assembly seats, despite engaging the services of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) — the same organization that had helped the party secure a landslide victory in 2019.
The key difference this time was leadership. In 2019, I-PAC was helmed by renowned strategist Prashant Kishor.
In contrast, the 2024 campaign was led by the relatively inexperienced Rishi Raj Singh, who is widely blamed for mismanaging the campaign and misleading Jagan about the actual ground realities.
Following missteps in social engineering and poor campaign planning, which significantly contributed to the party’s downfall, Jagan is now said to be taking a more cautious and calculated approach.
At a recently held Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, he reportedly took several strategic decisions to revive the party.
Discussions are ongoing regarding party membership drives and the rollout of a party-backed insurance scheme.
The appointment of new district presidents is in the final stages, and Jagan is also preparing to launch statewide tours to reconnect with the public.
Sources say that after parting ways with I-PAC, Jagan is now in talks with national-level political strategist Sunil Kanugolu, who heads Mindshare Analytics.
Kanugolu has played a key role in the Congress party’s victories in Karnataka and Telangana, as well as in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s success in Jharkhand.
Jagan is said to be in active discussions with Kanugolu, who is currently based in Bengaluru, to chart a new course for the party.
“That’s one of the main reasons Jagan has been spending significant time in Bengaluru — finalizing future strategies,” a source revealed.
During the 2024 elections, Jagan experimented with new social engineering tactics, including changes in candidate constituencies and ticket allocations. However, many of these moves backfired, alienating key social groups.
He is now working to rebuild those relationships in a bid to regain lost ground.
