Andhra election: 38 schemes and a tale of class war
(see chart). This election, Congress has tied up with the communist parties. The YSRCP government, in the last five years, chose to spend as much as ₹4.56 trillion on welfare schemes.
It did not, however, give a similar thrust to development. On the other hand, TDP has pitched for development. Three-term chief minister Naidu argues that without development there is no economic growth, no jobs and no funds for welfare schemes.
Jagan Reddy, meanwhile, has painted the elections as a class war—a war between the poor and the rich. Those wanting development and economic growth have been portrayed as pro-rich and enemies of the poor. “Coming elections are a war between classes.
Between poverty and wealth. We are representatives of the poor. If we lose, it is a loss for the poor," the chief minister said while addressing his party cadre in December.
“I take the side of the poor and Naidu is leading the feudal forces," he added. This battle, therefore, promises to be an engrossing one. Its outcome will have implications not just for the two big parties but also on the state’s finances, already under stress.
More on this later. “The outcome of the elections will determine if unbridled welfarism, as is the case with the present government, will continue at the cost of development or a balance will be struck between economic growth and welfare measures," says Jayaprakash Narayan, general secretary, Foundation for Democratic Reforms, a Hyderabad-based think tank. YSRCP came to power in 2019 with a huge mandate having won 151 of the 175 state assembly seats.
The party also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats. TDP, which had 102 seats in the previous assembly, managed to win just 23 seats. People voted out Naidu for failing to deliver on
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