In YSRCP list, Jagan drops 60% MPs, 25% MLAs to offset anti-incumbency; balances communities

Just before the Election Commission’s (EC’s) announcement Saturday of the the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled for May 13, the ruling Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP declared its candidates for all 175 Assembly seats and 24 out of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

The YSRCP announced the list of its candidates at the “samadhi” (grave) of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy at Idupulupaya in Kadapa district, in the presence of party supremo and CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh read out the names of the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, while state Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao did so for the Assembly polls.

Jagan’s nephew and Kadapa MP Y S Avinash Reddy, who is embroiled in the murder case of their uncle Y S Vivekananda Reddy, has been renominated.

Jagan has dropped 14 of the 22 sitting YSRCP MPs or over 60% of the incumbent party MPs, bringing in fresh faces to counter anti-incumbency. Notable among those who have been dropped are sitting Vishakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanaryana, Gorantla Madhav from Hindupur, Chinta Anuradha from Amalapuram, Araku MP Godeti Madhavi, Maragani Bharat Ram from Rajamahendravaram, Talari Rangaiah from Anantapur, and Magunta Srinivasulu from Ongole.

Rajya Sabha MP V Vijay Sai Reddy, a close confidant of Jagan, will contest from Nellore. Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana’s wife Botsa Jhani Laxmi will contest from Visakhapatnam. Former minister Poluboina Anil Kumar Yadav will contest from Narasaraopet.

There are 11 BC (Backward Classes) candidates, one ST (Scheduled Tribes), four SC (Scheduled Castes), and nine upper caste candidates in the list of nominees for the Lok Sabha polls, with the candidate for