Amaravati: With the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 drawing close, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday rallied his party members with a call to uphold the principles of welfare, during his address at the Anantapur ‘Siddham’ meeting in the state capital. 

In his remarks focussed on the ideological divide, Reddy said that the forthcoming electoral battle for the future of Andhra Pradesh would be a clash between two distinct visions.

‘Party That Stood by People of Andhra’

“The election battle is going to be between a party that wants to continue welfare schemes, and another that wants to revoke the schemes", Reddy told the gathering of supporters, while asserting that the upcoming general election is going to be between a party that stood by its promises and another that betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Drawing a stark contrast with the Opposition party, Jagan stressed on the “YSRCP's commitment to fulfilling its promises”, even as he emphasized on the ”betrayal of the people's trust by rival factions".

During his address to the YSRCP cadre, the chief minister also underlined the “disparity between leaders” who reside within the state, with a section of the state leaders “advocating for the welfare of citizens”, and a section he termed “non-resident Andhra’ (NRA) leaders who only rarely visit”. Exuding confidence, Reddy claimed that his party would “confine the opposition to a mere 23 seats” in the upcoming polls.

‘Keep the Fan Inside, Cycle Outside, and Tea Glass in the Sink’

“The fan should always be inside your homes. The cycle should be kept outside. The tea glass must be thrown into the sink,” Jagan quipped in an evidently metaphorical wordplay aimed at garnering attention towards his party symbol while –  at the same time  – also urging the people of the state to reject the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena. “We must explain to every individual, be it women, elderly, or the youth across communities that they need to vote for YSRCP for continuation of all welfare schemes”, he added.

In further criticism directed towards his rival factions, Jagan questioned their motives behind the idea of forging alliance.  

Plans to Secure 175 Assembly and 25 Parliamentary Seats

With an ambitious and rather “crucial” target in mind, CM Reddy showed confidence in securing a decisive victory by winning all the assembly (175) and parliamentary (25) seats. "If people don’t press the button for YSRCP, Chandrababu Naidu will come riding on the cycle in the form of Chandramukhi”, YSRCP chief said, in a state-wide appeal to the people of Andhra as he urged them to come out in large numbers and vote for his party.

“Only because my government fulfilled all the promises and delivered welfare and development, I am setting a target to win 175/175 assembly constituencies and 25/25 parliamentary constituencies seats. Are you all ‘siddham’ (ready) for the battle of Kurukshetra set to be fought in another 55 days? Are you ‘siddham’ to safeguard your future from Naidu and his pack of wolves?" the chief minister said, adding that Chandrababu Naidu is already 80-year-old, and is therefore “trying everything possible to make sure his party doesn't vanish next year”.

“He is trying for a direct alliance with a national party, and an indirect deal with another party. Don’t fall prey to it,” Reddy told the gathering.