Everybody was apprehensive that there would be large scale violence all over the state once YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is arrested.

While party leaders like Ambati Rambabu and Jupudi Prabhakar Rao made explosive statements saying the state would erupt into flames if Jagan was arrested, the party president himself alleged that the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party would resort to violent incidents and attribute the same to YSR Congress in a bid to stop the by-elections. He had even written letters to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi to that effect.

But nothing of that sort had happened, much to the surprise of the political observers. Though there were sporadic incidents of violence, they were immediately checked by the police. Even the bandh call given by the YSR Congress party was only partial and went off peacefully without any major untoward incidents.

According to sources, Jagan is learnt to have instructed his party cadres and leaders not to resort to any violence, because it would prove counter productive for the party.

First, it would create a negative image on the party; secondly, the police might use the opportunity to launch a massive crackdown on all the important leaders of the party in the constituencies where elections are being held, so that there would be no machinery to campaign in the polls. These leaders and cadres are essential for the party to make ground-level arrangements in the last two days of the campaign and if they are arrested, the party machinery would be crippled. Hence, the party leaders had to remain silent. May be, the protest agitations would gain momentum after June 12, when the electioneering is completed, if Jagan is not released from jail even then.