Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the most significant electoral irregularity in the entire country during the 2024 general elections took place in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at a press conference at the YSRCP’s central office in Tadepalli, Reddy claimed that the anomaly involved an astounding 48 lakh votes—equivalent to approximately 12.5 percent of the total votes polled in the state.
He accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of deliberately remaining silent on the issue, suggesting that this silence was due to an alleged “hotline” connection between Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. “Unfortunately, why does Rahul Gandhi never speak about Andhra Pradesh? It is because he is in direct and constant contact with Chandrababu,” Jagan alleged, framing it as a case of political convenience overriding public accountability.
Reddy maintained that this electoral anomaly was the largest in India during the 2024 polls and revealed that YSRCP leaders had already taken up the matter with the Election Commission of India (ECI). According to him, the ECI had promised to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIV) of the voter rolls in the state to address the alleged discrepancies.
Shifting focus to the recently conducted ZPTC elections, Jagan launched a scathing attack on the process, calling it a “mockery of democracy.” He alleged that police deployment during the polls was deliberately biased to favor Chief Minister Naidu and claimed that many polling booths were left without agents from opposition parties, creating an environment ripe for manipulation. “The elections heckled the democratic spirit,” he said, emphasizing that the conduct of law enforcement and election officials raised serious concerns about fairness.
Reddy also took aim at Congress national spokesperson Manickam Tagore, questioning why Tagore only criticizes the YSRCP while, in his view, turning a blind eye to alleged corruption and scams involving Naidu. These, he said, included irregularities linked to belt shops, permit rooms, and mining operations. He argued that selective criticism revealed a politically motivated bias in the Congress’s public stance.
When asked about Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s possible connection with Naidu, Jagan responded unequivocally, “Absolutely, of course. Everybody knows this. No one can be so naive as to think otherwise.”
In response, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Nara Lokesh dismissed Jagan’s accusations outright. In a sharp rebuttal posted on X (formerly Twitter), Lokesh said that the only genuine “hotline” in the state was between the TDP and the people of Andhra Pradesh. He ridiculed Jagan’s credibility by referencing what he called “repeated scams” under the YSRCP’s tenure, even using liquor emojis to allude to an alleged liquor scam during Jagan’s government. Lokesh asserted that the electorate had voted Jagan out precisely because of these issues and expressed confidence in the “double-engine government” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. According to Lokesh, this leadership would ensure that Andhra Pradesh “rises to the No. 1 position again.”
