HYDERABAD, 12 May 2004 — Propelled by a strong anti-incumbency wave against the ruling Telugu Desam Party, the Congress swept into power in Andhra Pradesh yesterday.
At the end of counting of votes in the two-phased assembly polls in the state, the Congress rode to victory, securing a near two-third majority on its own by securing 185 seats in a 294-member house. The party, along with its allies, accounted for an overall tally of 226, including 26 seats won by Telangana Rashtra Samiti, nine by the Communist Party of India-Marxist and six by the Communist Party of India.
Suffering its worst-ever defeat, the TDP got only 47 seats and its poll ally BJP could win only two seats.
While caretaker Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu conceded defeat, met state Governor Surjit Singh Barnala and submitted his resignation, the Congress has convened a meeting of its legislature party at 11 a.m. today to elect its leader.
In the 1999 elections, the TDP had retained power by securing 180 seats besides fetching 12 seats for the BJP. The Congress tally at that time was 91 while other parties and independents accounted for 11 seats.
Thus, the current results show a steep fall of 133 seats for the TDP and 10 for BJP, while the Congress gained 94 seats and its allies got an additional 49 seats.
The landslide victory of the Congress alliance encompassed all the three regions — Telangana, coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. The Congress-TRS-Left parties’ alliance almost swept the poll in Telangana region, where the TRS is spearheading a movement for a separate Telangana state by dividing Andhra Pradesh. In coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, the strong anti-incumbency wave dealt a deadly blow to the TDP-BJP alliance.
Reacting to the virtual rout of his party, TDP president Naidu said his party would play the role of a “constructive opposition” and congratulated the Congress-TRS-Left alliance on their performance in the elections.
“We accept the verdict of the people with all humility. We will extend full and wholehearted support to the new government. I thank the people of AP who have blessed me to be in power for the past nine years. I thank my Cabinet colleagues, our alliance partner BJP and the NDA government,” Naidu told reporters.
Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader in the dissolved assembly, who is expected to don the mantle of chief minister in the incoming Congress ministry, termed the poll outcome “a historic victory for the Congress.”
“Over the last three months, I have been saying that the Congress will get 180 to 190 seats. It was my hope because I have toured the entire state and felt the pulse of the people,” he said.
Rajasekhar Reddy, who is popularly known as YSR, said that during his pada yatra (march on foot) in the state, he saw the sad plight of the farmers, dalits and other weaker sections of society.
“I realized that the people were vexed with the Telugu Desam government and they would give a decisive mandate to our party. The people have totally rejected the policies pursued by Chandrababu Naidu,” he added.
He thanked the people for giving a decisive mandate to the Congress alliance. He also thanked TRS, CPI and CPI-M for the success of the alliance.
“The people have reposed their faith in the Congress. The party stands committed to development and it will fulfill all the promises contained in our manifesto,” he added.
