One year has passed since the alliance government came to power in Andhra Pradesh. As the administration completes its first anniversary, GreatAndhra takes a closer look at the political landscape and public mood across the state.
What follows are insights based on ground-level feedback and conversations with citizens in both rural and urban areas.
There is a significant wave of anti-incumbency in the state of Andhra Pradesh against the alliance government. However, it's important to look at the details more closely.
The strongest anti-incumbency sentiment is in rural areas, for various reasons — especially the lack of welfare schemes and the harassment of party workers belonging to alliance parties.
Neutral residents admit that even during the YSRCP government, there was some harassment of political opponents, but now they say it has crossed all limits. As they put it, if YSRCP did it at a 10% level, alliance supporters are doing it at 100%.
“In fact, we are TDP admirers, but my cousins support YSRCP. We all live closely together. But activists from the allied parties harassed my cousins badly, including using filthy language against the women in our family. We lost admiration for the TDP because of this. This is going to boomerang very badly. Even the police are clearly siding with the ruling party,” said a villager from the coastal region.
Another major concern in rural areas is the high level of corruption among MLAs. People feel that these leaders are trying to recover the money they spent during the elections as quickly as possible, and then continue to profit over the remaining years of the term. The absence of welfare schemes only adds to the anger.
Liquor commissions and questionable land settlements are further damaging the image of the alliance government. These issues are contributing to growing resentment, especially among the poor and marginalized.
It is also clear that YSRCP holds a strong grip in SC/ST constituencies, where the support for the party remains solid. The alliance can practically write off any hope of reclaiming these seats, even if they won some of them in the 2024 elections.
There are, however, a few positives for the alliance government. The increase in old-age pensions and the reopening of Anna Canteens have received some praise. But apart from these, the general mood in rural regions remains one of widespread dissatisfaction.
In contrast, the urban situation is more balanced. Urban voters tend to focus more on infrastructure like good roads, reliable electricity, and an overall perception of development. Harassment by political workers is also far less common in urban areas. Because of this, anti-incumbency sentiment is not as strong in towns and cities, although some discontent still exists.
Another positive factor for the alliance is that there are no internal misunderstandings among the allied parties. While the BJP is not playing a major role, the combination of Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh, and Pawan Kalyan appears to be working well and is being viewed as a strong and stable leadership group.
Lokesh, in particular, has managed to raise his popularity within the party and among the public. His leadership is now being appreciated, which marks a major shift from how he was perceived before the elections.
The alliance also has the advantage of time — there are still four years left in their term to make corrections and course adjustments in governance.
The situation in the region from Rayalaseema to Ongole is very positive for YSRCP, and the anti-incumbency wave against the alliance government is particularly strong here. In Krishna and Guntur districts, however, there isn’t much visible anti-incumbency, as development work is ongoing and, being part of the capital zone, the situation remains relatively favorable for the alliance government.
In the East and West Godavari regions, the scenario is very unfavorable for the alliance parties, with significant discontent. In Uttarandhra, the situation once again leans positively toward the TDP, while YSRCP continues to lag behind in influence.
When a resident of the Rayalaseema region was asked for his opinion, he said, “We are completely ignored. The alliance government is only for Vijayawada and Guntur. They focus only on those regions, and we feel betrayed in every way when it comes to development and welfare.”
A person from a town added, “We don’t see much difference between YSRCP and the alliance. Everything feels the same, and there’s no special sense that anything has improved. Life is just going on as usual.”
Meanwhile, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy continues to draw large crowds during his public appearances. But his personal popularity may not be enough to revive the party’s momentum. There is a widespread feeling that his inner circle needs to be reshuffled to inject energy into the party cadre and grassroots supporters.
Overall, in rural areas, about 60–70% of people are unhappy with the alliance government’s rule. In urban regions, public opinion is evenly split, with no significant wave of negativity yet.
