As TDP, BJP strike alliance, Jagan plans YSRCP show of strength

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is all set to conduct its fourth‘Siddham (ready for polls)’ cadre meeting on Sunday in the Bapatla district’s Addanki. The massive show of strength by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to be attended by lakhs of party workers from across the state a day after sealing of the alliance between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), JanaSena Party (JSP) and BJP for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for Andhra Pradesh.

YSRCP Rajya Sabha MPV Vijayasai Reddy said the party is making arrangements for at least 10 lakh attendees. With this meeting, the YSRCP plans to make a big political statement in the state’s central zone after having held similar meetings in Visakhapatnam, Denduluru in the Eluru district, and Rapthadu in the Anantapur district. “The Addanki meeting is expected to be bigger than all the three previous Siddham meetings,” Reddy said.

In particular, the YSRCP is hoping to bolster Jagan’s call for “Why not 175?” – the target to win all 175 Assembly seats in the state. “We are all working together to make the Siddham meeting in Bapatla a huge success. We are expecting as many as 15 lakh party supporters to be present at the event to make it one of the largest political meetings that has happened in the state,” Reddy said. All the arrangements, from venue setup and transport to refreshments and sanitation, have already been completed.

The YSRCP leadership further stated that the cadre was fully “siddham (ready)” to back Jagan in the upcoming “yuddham (battle)”, which the party is framing as “one versus all”.

In 2019, the YSRCP had nearly swept both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. It had won 151 of the 175 Assembly seats and 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats. Its primary rival