YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been spending most of his time in Bengaluru after the 2024 defeat. He is staying away from Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad due to what he believes are hostile governments.
With ongoing cases and more expected, he reportedly fears arrest and possible government surveillance.
He visits Andhra Pradesh occasionally. Each visit is linked to a specific issue or to meet a leader jailed in various cases. Whenever he appears in public, large crowds gather around him. YSR Congress calls these crowds voluntary and proof of Jagan's craze among the people.
It is difficult to measure the exact percentage, but a sizeable part of the crowd comes from mobilization. Blue Media highlights these gatherings with heavy coverage, live visuals and repeated narratives about his strong following and the supposed fear it creates among opponents.
Several analysts claim that these crowds show signs of a YSR Congress revival. But there is a flaw in that argument. Jagan has always drawn crowds. Whether it was Odarpu Yatra, Padayatra or his tours as Chief Minister, crowds were always present in large numbers.
The Siddham meetings, for example, were massive. The entire YSR Congress ecosystem believed those crowds meant victory. Even Jagan himself was convinced enough to raise slogans like Why Not 175?
But the 2024 results proved that crowds do not translate into votes. Political meetings, just like pre release events for movies, do not guarantee final outcomes. Anyone in doubt can compare the Siddham videos with the actual YSR Congress tally and the huge margins of defeat in those same areas.
So celebrating these crowds or drawing conclusions from them is too early and inaccurate. We are not even two years into the Chandrababu Naidu government. It is far too early to talk about anti incumbency or predict the mood for the 2029 elections.