8 highlights from the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections that will go down in the history books

The 2024 elections in Andhra Pradesh captured national attention with their political dynamics and fate-altering outcomes. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) triumphed over the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress party (YSRCP) by a massive margin. For the turnover of political power, the birth of new alliances, and the integral role of voters, this electoral event is destined to be remembered in history. Following the results, here are some of the key highlights from the Andhra Pradesh elections this year:

1. YSRCP and TDP’s role reversal since the 2019 elections

After securing a 50 per cent vote share and winning 151 Assembly and 23 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, YSRCP’s vote share in 2024 plummeted to a crushing 40 per cent, leaving the party with 10 assembly seats and 4 Lok Sabha seats. On the other hand, the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance won 163 out of 175 Assembly seats and 21 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats with overwhelming success.

2. Jana Sena party scores 21 on 21

After a decade-long journey in politics, Jana Sena has finally accomplished the big win. The party had a 100 per cent success rate, winning all the 21 Assembly seats and the 2 Parliamentary seats it ran for. After his defeat in the 2019 elections, Pawan Kalyan put up a tough fight to rise to power again and proved himself successful. Following TDP’s overwhelming success, N Chandrababu Naidu was seen cutting a cake with his family to celebrate the party coming to power again.

3. The nation’s eyes are on Chandrababu Naidu

TDP, having won 16 Lok Sabha seats, makes the party chief Chandrababu Naidu a key player in national politics and a vital ally for the NDA. As the BJP fell short of a majority in the Lok Sabha, they are keen to accommodate Naidu’s terms. Meanwhile, social media is abuzz with speculation about whether the I.N.D.I.A. alliance will attempt to sway Naidu to their side.

However, Chandrababu Naidu reiterated his commitment to the NDA in a press conference, saying “I have seen so many political changes in the country. I am in NDA. I am going to the NDA meeting. If there is anything else, we will report to you”.

4. Women’s candidature in the electoral race sees a surge

The number of women candidates who emerged victorious in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections has increased by approximately 3% compared to the previous elections. The TDP won all 21 seats where it fielded women candidates, and Janasena’s sole woman candidate, Lokam Madhavi, secured victory in Nellimarla, Vizianagaram district, defeating two-time MLA Badukonda Appala Naidu. The YSRCP, despite fielding 21 women candidates, managed to win only two seats: Virupakshi in Aluru, Kurnool district, and Dasari Sudha in Badwel, Kadapa.

TDP candidates such as Gummadi Sandhya Rani achieved remarkable wins, defeating four-time MLA and Deputy CM P Rajanna Dora in Saluru, while Toyyakala Jagadeeswari emerged victorious against former Deputy CM Pamula Pushpa Srivani in Kurupam. In Kadapa, Madhavi Reddy clinched victory over another former Deputy CM, Anzad Basha. Aditi Gajapathi Raju, hailing from the prestigious Vizianagaram Royal family and daughter of former central minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, secured a win against deputy speaker Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy in Vizianagaram. TDP state women wing president Vangalapudi Anitha also scored a comfortable victory against Kambala Jogulu of YSRCP.

5. TDP’s Guntur candidate becomes the wealthiest victor

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, the Telugu Desam Party candidate who contested from Guntur became the wealthiest candidate to win in the Local Sabha elections, with assets valued at Rs 5700 crores. Defeating YSRCP’s Kilari Venkata Rosaiah, he won by a margin of over 3.4 lakh votes

6. JSP chief Pawan Kalyan wins in Pithapuram on a massive scale

One of the memorable highlights from the results of the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections was when Pawan Kalyan, the chief of the Jana Sena Party won the Pithapuram Assembly seat. Following his victory against YSRCP’s Vanga Geetha by a margin of over 70,000 votes, Pawan Kalyan proudly stated that his win was extraordinary as his party won every seat it ran for in these elections. In celebration of his sweeping victory, Pawan Kalyan received a grand welcome from his family, with his wife, Anna, even shedding a few tears of joy and pride.

7. YS Jagan hands in his resignation

The Governor’s special chief secretary, Anil Kumar Singhal, in a press release, announced that the Governor had accepted Jagan’s resignation with effect from June 4. On Tuesday, S Abdul Nazeer, the governor of Andhra Pradesh, accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and requested him to stay in office until the new government is formed. 

8. Women and young voters steer the election results

In Andhra Pradesh, women cast more votes than men in 25 constituencies, making it one of the few states in the country where women voters outnumber men. The state has a voter base of approximately 4.14 crore, with 2.1 crore women. On polling day, 13 May, over 1.69 crore women voted in the 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha segments, compared to 1.64 crore men.