Jagan’s ‘changed’ style buoys party cadre

Visakhapatnam: During his tenure as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was quite inaccessible to common people as there was always an invisible veil stopping people from getting anywhere near him. However, after securing 11 Assembly seats in 2024 polls, the YSRCP chief’s attitude has changed towards the public even as there is no sign of apparent shift in his speech. Also, during his governance, Jagan maintained a considerable distance from the media. Even when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi flying to Delhi, the former CM was not too verbal about his visits to the capital of India.

However, post the 2024 polls, with no Opposition tag, Jagan ensures that he interacts with the media as often as possible. When party workers experience any difficult situation or if any unforeseen incident takes place, Jagan is stepping forward to meet the victims and consoling them.

For MLCs and MLAs, getting an appointment with Jagan, when he was the CM, used to be an uphill task. But the scene is totally different now. Much before the GVMC standing committee elections and MLC bypolls, Jagan held an exclusive meeting, involving corporators and councillors. At a time when 12 died and hundreds were admitted to hospitals to get treated during the LG Polymers gas leak incident, the then Chief Minister paid a fleeting visit to hospitals to check the victims’ health condition.

On Friday (August 23), the former chief minister spent quality time with victims affected due to the reactor blast at Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd, Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Anakapalli district, interacting with them. Jagan was accompanied by an army of former ministers and MLCs and party leaders to Anakapalli.

Apparently, Jagan’s frequent media conferences in recent times, close interaction with key party leaders and getting along with the public instil a sense of renewed vigour among the YSRCP cadre.