The men and women behind Jagan Mohan Reddy's long road to victory

Prashant Kishor and I-PAC are only new entrants to a small but close-knit group of family and friends that are part of the YSRCP chief's inner circle.
The men and women behind Jagan Mohan Reddy's long road to victory
The men and women behind Jagan Mohan Reddy's long road to victory
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Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy, the man of the moment in Andhra Pradesh, has witnessed a decade-long meteoric rise in politics. As he gears up to take over as the second Chief Minister of the bifurcated state of Andhra Pradesh, the focus is on the 46-year-old who proved his political acumen by defeating the experienced 69-year-old Chandrababu Naidu.

However, as Jagan is set to take oath, it is important to name those who worked along with him for his success. The most recent being election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was roped in by the YSRCP in 2017 to help defeat Naidu's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

It was Prashant Kishore and his team who ensured that Jagan managed to turn his image around and always be a step ahead of the TDP; whether it was campaigning on the ground, online campaigns, cadre strength or boosting the morale of party workers.

However, Prashant and I-PAC are only new entrants to a small but close-knit group of family and friends that are part of the YSRCP chief's inner circle.

The first being K Nagireddy, or KNR, Jagan's Personal Assistant, often referred to as the YSRCP leader's shadow. A former journalist and trusted confidant for over a decade, KNR is known to handle almost everything related to Jagan from his personal commitments to his media interactions and political campaigns.

Their association dates back to the 'Odarpu Yatra' (condolence tour) to console the families of those who reportedly died of shock on hearing the news about his father's death. KNR was by Jagan's side throughout the tour and had managed a large part of the campaign at the time.

Even in his affidavit with the Election Commission, Jagan fills his form with KNR's phone number and email ID, showing the trust he places on the latter.

Another crucial figure is Vijayasai Reddy, a chartered accountant by profession and presently a Rajya Sabha MP. Closely associated with the family, he is also one of the accused in the disproportionate assets case against Jagan that is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Like Jagan, he too was arrested in 2012 and spent a short-stint in jail before being granted bail. He surrendered yet again in front of a CBI court that same year after his bail was cancelled, following which he was finally granted bail again by the special CBI court probing the case, in 2013.

He was also the point of contact for I-PAC, as they referred to him as VJR. Vijayasai played a crucial role in the run-up to the polls, as several senior politicians defected to the YSRCP. Everything would first go through 'VJR' and only then to 'JMR', as Jagan Mohan Reddy is referred to.

The women in Jagan's life also played a crucial role in his political career. When Jagan was behind the bars, it was his mother, YS Vijayamma, who ran the party as its Honorary President. She repeatedly also staged protests, in the form of sit-ins and even led a candle light vigil at People's Plaza in Hyderabad when Jagan was arrested. In 2013, she took up the issue of weavers in then Sircilla district in then undivided Andhra Pradesh.

His sister YS Sharmila too had conducted a padyatra, when he was arrested, in an attempt to drum up support. Sharmila is also known to enjoy massive support among the foot soldiers of the YSRCP and has campaigned for Jagan and the party in every election since its inception.

Sharmila is often under attack by critics and has frequently been the subject of character assassination and online abuse, but she managed to come out on top. Even during the recent polls, it was Sharmila, who made the phrase 'Bye bye Babu' popular as she traversed across the state urging people to vote for her brother. Her campaigning skills struck a chord with the public just like that of Jagan as many turned up for her public meetings.

YS Bharati, Jagan's wife, is also not too far behind. While she stays away from the public eye in general, she has campaigned for the party and is often credited with running the family's business with a strong grip. Besides holding several senior posts in companies that she and Jagan had founded, she is also the chairperson of Sakshi Publications.

Bharati is known to be the brains behind Sakshi. During YSR's tenure, it was Jagan who ran the company. Following subsequent events, as Jagan spent time behind bars, Bharati took over and has since become the driving force of Jagathi publications, the parent company of the media outlet.

Even as the YSRCP campaign was in full throttle, many observers believe that it was the entry of the three women behind Jagan on to the battleground, that led to his sweeping victory, and allowed him to bag 22 out of the 25 MP seats and 151 out of the 175 MLA seats that were up for grabs.

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