Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s recent political positioning has alarmed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Sunday, Reddy expressed deep regret over supporting the 2023 law on the appointment of Election Commissioners, while fresh reform demands and support for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) point to a possible drift by the former NDA ally towards the opposition INDIA bloc.
Reddy told journalists on Sunday that the appointment of Election Commissioners must be completely free of the ruling government’s influence. Reacting to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, he said, “I now regret having approved that law.” He likened the selection panel-comprising the Prime Minister, a Union minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha-to “a student appointing his own examiner,” and demanded the Chief Justice of India’s re-inclusion in it.
Reddy has also backed the CJP, which has been protesting in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. On X, he condemned the arrests of joint coordinators Saurav Das and Ashutosh Rankar, saying arrests would not solve but only complicate the problem. He flagged the special revision of electoral rolls, claiming 46 lakh (4.6 million) fake voters had been identified nationwide and the government was set to hold elections on uncorrected rolls. He also alleged wards and divisions were redrawn to favour the ruling NDA.
The possible shift comes as the BJP seeks support for the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, needed to redraw boundaries on the 2011 census and enforce 33 per cent women’s reservation in state assemblies. The YSRCP has eight MPs-four each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. While the Delimitation Bill can pass with a simple majority, the constitutional amendment requires two-thirds support, making Reddy’s eight votes crucial. Reddy had earlier demanded that southern states not lose Lok Sabha seats for their population-control success and that seats rise proportionately.
Senior BJP leaders say YSRCP’s possible entry into the INDIA bloc would impact not only the ruling TDP-NDA alliance in Andhra Pradesh but also neighbouring Telangana’s politics. Christians make up 1.37 per cent of Andhra Pradesh’s voters and Muslims just over 9 per cent, against 1.27 per cent and just over 12 per cent in Telangana. Since many Dalit Christians identify as Hindus for reservation benefits, the real Christian vote share in both states is estimated at 10–15 per cent-a vote bank that would substantially aid the opposition if consolidated. A Reddy-Congress rapprochement could rally Telangana’s Reddy community behind Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and give Congress direct support among coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema settlers across 20–30 constituencies, including Gachibowli in Greater Hyderabad, Khammam and Suryapet.
The ruling camp, however, claims the former Chief Minister took this stance under pressure from fast-tracked hearings in central agency cases and the urgency of political survival. Andhra Pradesh’s political circles remain abuzz over the sudden shift and new equations.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/jagan-mohan-reddy-india-alliance-speculation-grows-as-the-ysrcp-chief-regrets-backing-the-2023-law-on-election-commissioner-appointments/
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Publish Date: 2026-10-19 21:30:00
