The defeat in the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh with just 23 seats in 175-member assembly was the most humiliating-ever show for the Telugu Desam Party headed by N Chandrababu Naidu.
But what was shocking to Naidu was the fall in majority even in his own constituency Kuppam in Chittoor district.
Being a senior most politician having won the assembly elections seven times and held the chief minister post for three times, Naidu was trailing in the first two rounds in Kuppam.
Though, Naidu has picked up from the third round onwards and ended up with about 30,000 majority, which is a drastic fall from the previous majority of 47,121 votes in 2014. In 1994, Naidu got the majority of 56,588 when he shifted to Kuppam.
It went up to 65,687 in 1999 but dropped to 59,508 in YS Rajasekhar Reddy wave in the State in 2004 and further to 46,066 in 2009.
In 2014 when YSRCP fielded a former IAS officer K Chandramouli, Naidu managed to secure 47,121 votes majority in that election.
In fact, Naidu developed Kuppam on all fronts. The constituency got good roads, housing, industries providing employment opportunities to several youth among other things.
Party senior leaders in the constituency expected that the majority this time would be above 70,000.
Apart from YSRC wave, local reports say the caste polarisation had led to this drastic call in Naidu’s majority.
Vannekula Kshatriya community which is predominant in the constituency might have tilted towards YSRCP candidate K Chandramouli who belongs to that caste.
The second reason is the complacency among the local leaders of the party.
