The election fever in Andhra Pradesh has ended with the declaration of results for the assembly and parliament seats. The NDA alliance, led by a combination of TDP, JSP, and BJP, won a remarkable mandate of 164 seats and ousted YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government from power. The stage is now set for Chandra Babu to take the oath as the Chief Minister of the state for the fourth time in his career.
Besides ruling the state, the TDP-JJSP combine will have a pivotal role at the center as well because the BJP fell short of the magic figure and will be dependent on these parties for support to form the government. Hence, it would be interesting to see how well Chandra Babu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan turn this situation into the state’s favor and fulfill the aspirations of 5 crore people.
It is a known fact that the BJP, which has been in power for a decade now, has ignored the state in many aspects. From ignoring special status to indecisiveness in the completion of the Polavaram project to the building of a capital city to granting a railway zone, there have been so many crucial issues that need the center’s support.
As the BJP forged a pre-poll alliance and also needs the support of the TDP and Janasena to run the government for the next five years, there will be huge pressure on them to prioritize the development of Andhra Pradesh on so many indices. They will need to allot adequate funds and grant special incentives to the state to please Naidu and Pawan, who extended their unconditional support.
On the other side, both Naidu and Pawan will have a bigger challenge ahead because it is going to be a herculean task to run the government for the next five years by balancing welfare and development. While making sure that all promises in the manifesto are effectively implemented, they will need to put pressure on the center to look into the special status and allot funds for the Polavaram project.