Only Party That Can Give SCS, But AP People Won’t Vote

Andhra Pradesh polls and the special category status promise are intricately related. After the state bifurcation, the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance promised SCS to AP but it wasn’t delivered. In 2019, Jagan asked for a complete majority in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections and assured that he would definitely bring SCS if it happens. But despite winning 151 MLA seats and 22 MP seats, Jagan didn’t take any decisive action on this.

It is the turn of the Congress party now to play the SCS card as the national party has mentioned in its manifesto that AP would be accorded a special status if they come to power in the center.

Speaking of which, AP people are nearly vexed with the SCS promises given by the political parties. The sensitive SCS topic was first exploited by the TDP-BJP alliance, and then by YS Jagan but no consolidated action was taken in the last decade.

Initially, during the bifurcation, Congress was in power in the center and they promised SCS to AP, but incidentally, BJP was voted to power in the very next election and the SCS dream quickly evaporated. So, the Congress party which is wiped out in AP promising SCS now, a decade after bifurcation might have no takers.

Moreover, Congress is in no position to regain power at the center with the polling trends clearly in favor of the NDA to score a hattrick at the center. So despite Congress being the new entity to promise special status, it is not likely to have any takers in AP.