News Analysis | Can Botcha Jhansi pull off an unlikely win for YSRCP in Visakhapatnam?

Speculations arise as Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi aims to secure victory in Visakhapatnam, a predominantly TDP stronghold.

With Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy declaring Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi as the Lok Sabha candidate for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) from Visakhapatnam, in his third list of reshuffle of candidates, speculations abound on whether she can pull off an unlikely victory and also inspire her MLA candidates to succeed in what is a predominantly TDP stronghold.

Ms. Jhansi Lakshmi, wife of Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, had earlier won the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 2009.

Notably, she becomes the second woman candidate to be fielded by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy from Visakhapatnam. In 2014, his mother Y.S. Vijayamma unsuccessfully contested the seat, losing to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) K. Haribabu by nearly one lakh votes.

However, in 2019, riding the YSRCP wave, M.V.V. Satyanarayana won the election by a narrow margin of around 4,000 votes, defeating the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) M. Sri Bharat. The question now arises whether Ms. Jhansi can successfully maintain the seat, especially amidst growing speculations of anti-incumbency against the ruling government.

Ms. Jhansi’s candidature had come as a surprise for many party workers, as the Botcha family has already been allotted at least four seats from various regions. Party sources indicate that the YSRCP wave is slightly diminished compared to the 2019 election, and defeating TDP in its bastion would prove to be a herculean task for Ms. Jhansi.

The fate of an MP candidate rests on the shoulders of the local MLAs. Visakhapatnam comprises six MLA constituencies: East, West, North, South, Bheemunipatnam and Gajuwaka. In 2019, the party emerged victorious in all constituencies except for Gajuwaka and Bheemunipatnam, which is significant as the party had fared poorly across the State.

This time, considering the reshuffle trend, the YSRCP is poised to change both its sitting MLAs in Gajuwaka and Bheemunipatnam. The sitting MP M.V.V. Satyanarayana has been instructed to contest from East, while candidates who lost in 2019 may be considered for West and North.