Andhra Pradesh Assembly Exit Poll Results 2024: Axis My India will today release its exit poll numbers for 175 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh. The state, which went to the polls in the single phase on May 13, witnessed a three-cornered contest, with the ruling YSR Congress Party, TDP-led NDA, and Congress-led INDIA bloc in the fray.
In the 2019 elections, the YSR Congress Party headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy trounced N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to wrest power. In that election, the YSRCP swept the state by bagging 151 of 175 seats with 49.95 per cent of votes. The TDP's tally dropped from 102 in 2014 to 23.
In this election, the TDP formed a formidable alliance - by allying with the BJP and actor-turned-politician Jana Sena Party (JSP) - to take on Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Congress headed by Jagan's sister YS Sharmila led the charge and stitched an alliance with CPI and CPI-M.
As per NDA seat-sharing, the TDP is contesting 144 seats, while BJP 10 and JSP 21.
Prashant Kishor's Prediction for Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections 2024
Political strategist Prashant Kishor was possibly the first to predict a massive defeat for Jagan Mohan Reddy. In an interview with Telangana-based RTV, Kishor, who had spearheaded YSRCP's campaign in 2019, said that he had told Jagan Mohan Reddy a year ago during a meeting in Delhi that he would lose this election a big time.
"I have been saying that for the last few months, Jagan is headed for a massive defeat...He will be reduced to just 51 seats. The reverse will happen this time. I can not go into details as elections are happening. This is my assessment," the ace strategist said. "The way the government has functioned, it will be a big challenge...to win this time.
When asked about what mistake Jagan made that he was heading for a shock defeat, Kishor said: "When you are heading for a big loss then you must have done a series of blunders." The biggest mistake, he said, Jagan made was that "he started treating himself like a self-appointed provider of Andhra people."
"People elected their leaders, they don't elect kings or providers. He felt that Andhra people did not need anything... they needed only DBT (direct bank transfer)," he said, suggesting that the chief minister focussed only on transferring money, not on roads, employment, or economic conditions of people.
Kishor also said that people did not have access to Jagan. Axis My India's Prediction for Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha
Prashant Kishor's prediction may come true in Andhra as the exit polls have predicted a massive loss for the ruling YSRCP in the Lok Sabha elections. The YSRCP had won 22 of 25 seats in 2019. However, this time, Axis My India has projected a huge gain for the TDP, and only 2-4 seats for the ruling YSRCP. The BJP may also open its account in this southern state and bag 4-6 seats.