Seems like there is a battle for supremacy on in Andhra Pradesh. During the past couple of days, there have been reports which suggest that Kadapa member of Parliament YS Jaganmohan Reddy is slowly losing his clout and most of his loyalists are trying to make a return to their 'mother' party.
The reason being given is that Jagan faces too many cases and there is a possibility of his arrest which would not bode well for the fledgeling YSR Congress.
On Wednesday they put out a subtle threat stating they would return to the Congress, and are maintaining a distance at the moment. Overall, it seems like they have adopted a wait and watch policy.
Sources in the YSR Congress party, however, claim that there is no such development and they are expecting more Congress members to come into their fold.
"All our loyalists are very much with us," YSR Congress party leadership claims.
However, for the ruling Congress, the going would be difficult when the assembly commences operations next month. On day one, Telegu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu is expected to move a no-confidence motion against the Congress, and Jagan is likely to back it.
It would be on this day that things would become clear regarding the loyalties of the legislators. The Congress is surviving with a very thin margin at the moment, and would need the backing of every MLA to ensure its survival.
In addition to the 'Jagan headache', they also have to deal with the MLAs from the Telangana region who have been threatening to quit the party. There is also the added headache of the Telangana Rastriya Samithi which has already poached three of its MLAs.
Although Jagan does not find himself to be in a favourable situation today, the grapewine suggests that he is still the biggest problem for the Congress. The big question is whether Jagan will continue to be aggressive with the Congress, considering the mess he is in today with the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Although his party workers claim that he will not go soft on the Congress, the fact remains that his approach towards this party has changed a great deal.
When the YSR Congress party was launched, he had said that he had only one opponent, and that was the Congress. In fact, he even stated that this was a battle between his late father Dr Y S Rajasekara Reddy and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
However, for the past couple of days the scenario has been very different. He has only been targetting the TDP, which has made many ask the question if Jagan has been put down by the Congress.
His party, however, has a very different explanation to this. They say the only reason they are targetting the TDP today is because this is the only worthwhile party.
"It is the only opposition in the state. The Congress has diminished and there is no need to target a party which is already out," said a source.
On the other hand, some of his loyalists said that the going does not look too good for Jagan.
"We need to think of our future too, and in case the cases go against Jagan we cannot identify with him. We have adopted a wait and watch policy and will decide when the time comes. However, we are not planning anything major as of now," said a source.
The Congress, however, is leaving no stone unturned to see to it that the Jagan faction is split. They too are aware that divided YSR Congress party would mean that the Congress survives longer in Andhra Pradesh
