As the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition completes one year in power in Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress Party, led by former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, has also begun revamping its strategy for the next four years.
According to sources, Jagan has finalized a new political strategist to guide the party through its next phase. In the past, I-PAC worked with YSRCP during both the 2019 and 2024 elections, albeit under different leadership each time — resulting in varied outcomes.
In 2019, YSRCP had a successful collaboration with Prashant Kishor, who played a key role in the party’s landslide victory, securing 151 assembly seats. He was instrumental in crafting the padayatra, candidate onboarding, and election campaigns.
However, after YSRCP came to power, Kishor announced his retirement from political consulting and distanced himself from future assignments.
Post-2019, Rishi Raj Singh from I-PAC took over and continued to support YSRCP through the 2024 elections, but the results were disappointing for the party.
Interestingly, ahead of the 2024 elections, Prashant Kishor reportedly met TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi through the mediation of a powerful political figure. Kishor even moved to Hyderabad temporarily and devised a successful strategy to defeat YSRCP.
His team allegedly contributed key ideas such as revising the liquor policy, introducing land title reforms, increasing pensions, and offering promises to village volunteers — all of which helped the TDP-led coalition gain momentum.
At the same time, TDP’s association with Robin Sharma’s Showtime Consultancy also continued and played a crucial role during the 2024 campaign.
Now, after spending considerable time in Bengaluru following the electoral loss, Jagan is preparing to re-enter the political arena.
Sources indicate that he has signed an agreement with a senior strategist who previously worked closely with Prashant Kishor. This strategist is expected to support YSRCP through the 2029 elections.
While there were attempts by Rishi Raj Singh to stage a comeback in Jagan’s camp, it appears Jagan was not interested.
“Instead, the deal was finalized with another experienced political consultant. This move is seen as Jagan’s attempt to revitalize the party and stage a comeback by 2029,” sources said.
It remains to be seen who this new political strategist is — whether it's Sunil Kanugolu or a young woman leader who recently left Rishi’s team.
