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Former YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy, who had claimed to quit electoral politics earlier this year after a long association with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Monday, September 7, announced that he would float a new political party in Andhra Pradesh.
Vijayasai Reddy said the new party would seek to provide a “viable alternative” to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the YSRCP and the Jana Sena Party (JSP). He said its name and other details would be announced after Vijaya Dasami.
The details of the proposed party, including its name, organisational structure and leadership, are expected to be announced after Vijaya Dasami.
The former MP, once considered one of Jagan’s closest political aides, has undergone a significant political shift since his departure from the YSRCP. Vijayasai Reddy had been associated with Jagan for years and was among the prominent faces of the party in Parliament. He also served as the YSRCP’s national general secretary and was a key strategist for the party.
However, his relationship with Jagan deteriorated in the run-up to the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. Vijayasai Reddy was subsequently removed from some of his party responsibilities, and he eventually announced his retirement from active politics in January 2025, saying he wanted to pursue agriculture and other personal interests.
His political trajectory changed further after his exit from the YSRCP. In recent months, Vijayasai Reddy has publicly expressed views closer to the Hindutva camp and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP on several occasions, fuelling speculation that he could join the BJP. He had, however, not formally joined the party.
His announcement of a new political outfit now marks another turn in his political journey.
Vijayasai Reddy said neither he nor any member of his family would seek to become the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2029 Assembly elections. Instead, he said he would remain a mentor, drawing a comparison with Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, who remained outside electoral office while exercising significant influence over the party.
The proposed party will be a regional outfit restricted to Andhra Pradesh, Vijayasai Reddy said. Its primary objective, he said, would be to eliminate corruption and what he described as the politics of vindictiveness practised by the TDP and YSRCP.
He also proposed giving young people a significant role in the new party. According to Vijayasai Reddy, 66% of party tickets would be allocated to people between 25 and 40 years of age, irrespective of caste. He said empowering young people was essential to the country’s future.
Vijayasai Reddy said people in Andhra Pradesh were disillusioned with both the TDP and YSRCP and were looking for a third political alternative.
He outlined five broad priorities for the proposed party’s manifesto.
These include reducing the prices of essential commodities while increasing people’s incomes; providing free electricity to households and farmers through solar power and Central government subsidies; reducing taxes on petroleum products; increasing the state’s water storage capacity to 3,000 TMCFT; and strengthening government schools.
He also proposed a “graduate bridge allowance” for unemployed graduates.
