From Prison to Power: How Naidu, Revanth bounced back to Chief Minister’s chair

Hyderabad: Nara Chandrababu Naidu made a spectacular comeback in the 2024 Assembly election and led TDP to regain power in Andhra Pradesh against all odds. Likewise, Anumula Revanth Reddy dethroned K Chandrashekar Rao from power and became the chief minister of Telangana.

If we look at the present Telangana CM and the next AP CM, there is an interesting correlation. Both served jail terms on corruption charges before getting the most coveted post in the State; Naidu of course for the fourth time in his career. The vendetta politics discourse that Naidu and Revanth made against the respective YSRCP and BRS governments resonated well with the people getting them sympathy and public support contributing to their historic wins in Assembly elections.

An arrest that grabbed the world’s attention

Naidu, for the first time in his nearly 50-year-long political career, was sent to jail by the YSRCP government on corruption charges in the Skill Development case. He was arrested on September 9, 2023.

Naidu’s family including his wife Bhuvaneshwari took to the streets for the first time and held protests at various places in AP condemning the arrest. TDP leaders and supporters, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan along with other political parties termed YSRCP’s actions vendetta politics.

Protests and meetings in support of Naidu were not just confined to AP but also in Telangana and countries like the USA, UK etc. where AP origin people were residing. After serving a 53-day jail term, Naidu came out of Rajahmundry Central Jail on October 31, 2023, after the court granted him bail on health grounds.

Although many factors are being attributed to YSRCP’s defeat in AP, one of the reasons being cited is the public sympathy that 74-year-old Naidu got after he was sent to jail. So much so that voters hailing from AP travelled from overseas, from the rest of India to cast their vote in AP elections, which Naidu highlighted in his first reaction after the results.

Staying in and out of jail

If we look at Revanth Reddy’s case, he was arrested by the ACB in MLC Stephenson’s house on May 31, 2015. The court granted bail in the Cash for Votes case and Revanth after spending nearly a month in jail, was released from Cherlapally Central Prison on June 30, 2015.

Revanth, who was Kodangal MLA, at that time, alleged that the KCR government singled out him and was indulging in a witch-hunt against him just because he was cornering the administration on people’s issues.

This was not the only time he served a jail term. Revanth was arrested again during his tenure as Malkajgiri MP on March 5, 2020, for flying a drone unlawfully over a farmhouse on the city outskirts, which he alleged belonged to BRS working president KT Rama Rao.

After a 14-day judicial custody, Revanth was released on March 18, 2020, after a court granted him bail. At that time, it was said to be the first instance when a citizen was sent for judicial remand in a drone flying case.

Though his CV carried arrests and jail terms, the people of Telangana were sympathetic towards Revanth and rallied behind him and the Congress party to post an upset victory over the BRS government that was in power for 10 years.

Public against vendetta politics

Sharing his perspective, TPCC general secretary Addanki Dayakar, a close confidante of Revanth Reddy, said that the people of Telangana realised the way the KCR government intentionally targeted Revanth Reddy with vendetta politics. The fact that he had to go through a lot to attend his daughter’s engagement eventually on a 12-hour interim bail order did not go unnoticed by the public.

Revanth Reddy’s illegal arrests did not dent his image but his support and popularity grew across the State ultimately helping him to topple the KCR government and end its autocratic rule in Telangana, Dayakar said.

Not all jailed netas get sympathy

Not in all cases arrests of political leaders will lead to public sympathy and support, but it depends on various circumstances, felt, TJS (Telangana Jana Samithi) president Prof Kodandaram. When actions are taken with a political vendetta, people look at those leaders as victims and be sympathetic and extend support to them, he added.

“If we look at BRS leader K Kavitha, no sympathy was generated for the BRS party as the public felt there was no need for her to indulge in irregularities and land herself in trouble. In the case of Naidu in Andhra Pradesh and also Revanth in Telangana, people looked at them as victims of political vendetta and rallied behind them,” the TJS chief said.

YSRCP, BRS paid for revenge politics

TPCC spokesperson Vedire Yogeshwar Reddy felt that the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh and the previous BRS government in Telangana paid the price for indulging in vendetta politics against the opposition leaders. People were sympathetic towards Chandrababu Naidu and Revanth Reddy and hence the overwhelming support was seen for both of them.

“If you prioritise vendetta politics over governance and people-centric administration, the public will throw you out of power. This is what happened now in AP and earlier in Telangana. These two instances are a case study for the new governments in both Telugu States or any State for that matter not to focus on witch-hunting and unnecessary issues but rather spend energies on doing good for the people and the State,” Yogeshwar Reddy said.

Meanwhile, BJP national executive member and former BJP-AP chief Som Veerraju felt that public sympathy for Naidu, because of his arrest, was one of the many reasons that helped the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance topple the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh.

A tsunami kind of wave in people against the YSRCP government, fear and worries that people had all along and was not expressed in public and which came out in the form of election results, good co-ordination and understanding amongst the alliance partners right till ground level unlike in previous elections also contributed to the massive win for the alliance, Veerraju added.

Infographics:

Arrests Timeline

Chandrababu Naidu

Ø Arrested on September 9, 2023, on corruption allegations in Skill Development case.

Ø Granted bail on health grounds on October 31, 2023.

Ø He served a jail term of 53 days and finally walked out of Rajahmundry Central Jail.

Revanth Reddy

Ø The Kodangal MLA was arrested by the BRS government on May 31, 2015, in the Cash for Votes scam.

Ø Granted bail and released from Cherlapally Central Prison on June 30, 2015. He spent 30 days in jail.

Ø During his tenure as the Malkajgiri MP, Revanth Reddy was once again arrested on March 5, 2020, for flying a drone unlawfully over a farmhouse, which he alleged belonged to KT Rama Rao.

Ø He was released on March 18, 2020, after a court granted bail.