The ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dealt a solid blow to both his political opponents – the Telugu Desam Party led by N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party led by actor Pawan Kalyan, by deciding to back the Narendra Modi government at the Centre on two crucial issues.
YSRC general secretary and parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy announced that as per Jagan’s decision, the party would support the Bharatiya Janata Party on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 that hands control of the national capital’s bureaucratic machinery to the Centre.
He also opposed the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition parties against the Modi government and said the YSRCP would vote against the motion during the voting.
The YSRC’s decision has come a big relief for the BJP in Rajya Sabha, as all nine members of the YSRC would vote for the bill.
In the house of 237 members of Parliament who will have a vote, the NDA has now got a majority of 123 votes against the 108 votes that the opposition alliance is expected to get.
Now, as a reciprocating gesture the BJP will definitely not work against the interests of the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh.
“While taking support from the YSRCP at the Centre, the BJP will be morally binding to support Jagan in AP. It may not have an alliance with the YSRCP, but it will not join hands with the other opposition parties to pull down the Jagan government,” an analyst said.
It will be interesting to see what Pawan Kalyan will do now. Since the BJP will definitely be not interested in defeating the YSRC that helped it at the Centre, Pawan cannot ask the BJP to join hands with him to fight against Jagan.
At the same time, Naidu also will realise that there is no point in running after the BJP, which will definitely not join hands with the TDP and Jana Sena. So, there is no possibility of three parties fighting together against Jagan.
Though the TDP chief anyway doesn’t have much hopes on the BJP, he was hoping that the Centre would at least help prevent Jagan from bulldozing the election process. Now, even this hope has been shattered.
It remains to be seen whether Pawan will come out of the clutches of the BJP and join hands with the TDP; or continue to sail with the BJP that will help the YSRC in the elections.