YSRCP’s response to political developments is apparent only when Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy speaks. Without him, or if he does not react, the very presence of an opposition in Andhra Pradesh seems nonexistent.
Currently, Jagan is on a London tour. But does his absence mean that time has stopped or that politics has come to a standstill? Of course not—things continue to move forward on their own.
While Jagan is abroad, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his team recently returned from their Davos tour. However, their return empty-handed has become a topic of discussion.
Meanwhile, Naidu made a sensational announcement regarding the implementation of his election promises.
Despite no significant investments coming into Andhra Pradesh and Naidu admitting that the "Super Six" promises cannot be implemented immediately, his media-friendly ecosystem is ensuring that these issues do not gain much traction among the public.
Even though YSRCP leaders are criticizing the ruling coalition’s governance, their statements are not gaining much publicity. The reason? Their influence is limited.
If Jagan had been in the state and had held a press conference slamming the failures of the Davos tour and the U-turn on the "Super Six" schemes, it would have triggered a serious political debate by now.
This situation has led to the perception that YSRCP is becoming voiceless in Jagan’s absence. Although the party is active on social media, the impact of online criticism has its limitations.
Without Jagan, there is a clear shortage of strong voices to represent the party. The fact that Jagan has not groomed second-line leadership to his stature is becoming evident and costly at times like these.
Looking at Telangana, even when KCR remains silent, his son and BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, nephew Harish Rao, daughter Kavitha, and other leaders are actively taking on the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government.
A strong political party needs a solid leadership team. However, YSRCP’s lack of such a team is becoming increasingly apparent. It is high time for Jagan to focus on nurturing capable leaders within his party.
