Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday extended full support to the Narendra Modi government in dealing with the situation arising out of the faceoff with China in Ladakh.

At the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via video conference, he said that Andhra Pradesh stands by the Centre for whatever strategy it adopts to tackle the situation on the border.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President said he had complete faith and trust in Modi’s leadership and exuded confidence that he would navigate the nation successfully even through the Galwan crisis and India will emerge stronger and resilient.

“I stand by you not only as President of YSR Congress Party but also as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. I would like to convey the wholehearted support of 6 crore people of my state,” he said.

Lavishing praise on Modi, Jagan Mohan Reddy said India became an economic and diplomatic power house with the Prime Minister extensively visiting nations across the globe and building strategic partnerships which propelled India to the forefront.

“This established India as a global power to reckon with and a lighthouse for other nations. We have gained prominence in the global sphere and it is quite evident from the Prime Minister’s most successful foreign policy initiatives which secured India membership in the top 3 international controlled regimes for missiles, arms and bio-weapons.”

The Chief Minister said Modi demonstrated his visionary leadership at the UN Security Council by securing unprecedented support of 184 out of 192 member nations.

The YSRCP chief said the progress also attracted the envy of some nations that are trying to destabilise India. “We have emerged victorious time and again and this time I am sure you will find a solution to this predicament using your wisdom and international diplomatic relations.”

Jagan Mohan Reddy began his speech by expressing deepest anguish over the death of 20 brave soldiers who displayed exemplary courage while protecting sovereignty of the country at Galwan Valley. He said he, on behalf of the state, saluted their supreme sacrifice.

“My heart goes out to the families of brave soldiers. I urge leaders participating in the meeting to stand shoulder to shoulder with our extended bereaved families,” he said.

He said that in today’s nuclear era the world is changing, wars are not fought with military might alone but by international clout, diplomacy, trade restrictions, sanctions and international pressure.

“Let us not forget the fact that no weapons were used and also not forget that there were few unconfirmed casualties on the other side as well,” he added.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-designate Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited him for his swearing-in ceremony to be held in Vijayawada on May 30.

Reddy also apprised Modi of the current situation in Andhra Pradesh and discussed the issues of special category status to the state.

Modi said he had “an excellent meeting” with Reddy.

“We had a fruitful interaction on several issues pertaining to Andhra Pradesh’s development. Assured him all possible support from the Centre during his term,” Modi tweeted.

Reddy presented the Prime Minister a bouquet and a shawl, and congratulated him on winning a second term in office. Other YSRCP leaders too were present during the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence in 7, Lok Kalyan Marg here.

Reddy also met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah. The YSRCP leader is likely to meet senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh in the evening on Sunday.

Reddy, whose YSR Congress Party registered a landslide victory in the Assembly elections by winning 151 out of 175 seats, ousted the N. Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government in Andhra Pradesh.

With 22 parliamentary seats under its belt, YSRCP is the fourth largest party in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, YSRCP had made it clear that it would support any party or alliance provided Andhra Pradesh got special status.

Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy, the man of the moment in Andhra Pradesh, has had a meteoric rise in politics.

He has now reached his goal, nearly a decade after he aspired for the top post in the state following death of his father and then Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a helicopter crash.

With his YSR Congress Party on course for a landslide victory in the 2019 Assembly elections, Jagan Mohan Reddy has repeated what his father had achieved in 2004 — logging Telugu Desam Party’s N. Chandrababu Naidu out of power.

What the young leader could not achieve in the Congress, he has done it by floating a new party and slogging for eight years, banking on the legacy of YSR, as his late father was popularly known.

Jagan, as the businessman-politician is popularly known, made the YSRCP replace Congress as the second major political force in the truncated state of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and in 2019, led it to power.

As he gears up to take over as the second Chief Minister of the new state of Andhra Pradesh, the focus is on the 46-year-old who proved his political acumen by defeating much experienced 69-year-old Chandrababu Naidu.

When YSR led the Congress to power in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2004, Jagan was running his businesses, mostly from Bengaluru. YSR was in a hurry to groom his son as his political successor. He tried to make his brother Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy resign from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in 2005 to pave way for Jagan’s election. While Vivekananda agreed, then Congress President Sonia Gandhi scuttled the move and asked YSR to wait till 2009.

Making an impressive electoral debut, Jagan was elected to Lok Sabha from Kadapa in 2009 elections, when his father retained power in the state. Barely six months later the death of YSR in a chopper crash plunged the state into political chaos.

Even before Jagan’s burial, YSR loyalists started “Jagan as CM” campaign, much to the dislike of Congress leadership, which choose veteran leader K. Rosaiah as YSR’s successor.

Seen as rebellious and a man in a hurry to take over the mantle, Jagan defied the party leadership to embark on “odarpu yatra” to console the family members of those who died of shock or committed suicide following YSR’s death.

As Jagan’s rebellion continued to pose a challenge, the Congress leadership replaced Rosaiah with Kiran Kumar Reddy to deal firmly with dissidence. When Vivekananda Reddy was inducted into state cabinet, Jagan accused the Congress of dividing his family and quit the party along with his mother Y.S. Vijayamma, who was earlier elected unopposed from Pulivendula Assembly seat, which fell vacant following YSR’s death.

Jagan, with a handful of loyalists, floated the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) in March. By winning by-elections from Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula with huge margins, the son-mother duo proved their popularity in the faction-ridden Rayalaseema region.

However, the alleged dramatic increase in Jagan’s wealth when his father was the Chief Minister had already triggered demands from his rivals in Congress and also the TDP for a thorough probe. Following a Central Bureau of Investigation probe ordered by Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2011, a series of cases were registered against him and his aides.

In what is called the ‘quid-pro-quo’ cases, Jagan was accused of getting investments into his businesses by firms and individuals in return for the shown undue favours shown to them by the government headed by his father in the form of approvals, leases, contracts and government land.

However, the YSRCP leader denied all the charges as “witch-hunting”.

Jagan’s rivals also targeted his media ventures, alleging that the ill-gotten wealth of YSR had gone into a Telugu newspaper and a channel owned by him.

The CBI arrested Jagan and sent him to jail on May 27, 2012. After 16 months in jail, he was granted bail.

In the affidavit filed along with his nomination from Pulivendula last month, Jagan mentioned 31 criminal cases pending against him including cases booked by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate under Prevention of Corruption and Act Money Laundering Act among others. He, however, was not convicted in any case.

After the release from jail in 2013, Jagan started building the party and undertook ‘padyatras’ or foot marches like his late father to know people’s problems.

With striking similarities to YSR, Jagan became known for making an instant emotional chord with the masses, mingling with them, shaking hands and cupping everyone’s chin in a commiserative gesture.

Though deprived of a win in 2014 mainly due to the TDP’s alliance with the BJP, Jagan continued his struggle. Unfazed by the defection of nearly two dozen MLAs to the TDP, he focused on strengthening the party.

He set a new record through 14-month-long ‘padayatra’, which ended in January this year. Covering a distance of 3,640 km on foot, he promised to usher in ‘Rajanna Rajyam’, a reference to his father’s rule during which welfare schemes were implemented for various sections of the society.

Unlike typical Indian politicians, Jagan is usually clad in a formal striped shirt and trousers. Fit and smartly dressed, he enjoys a huge following among youth.

Jagan, who had his schooling at Hyderabad Public School, holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree. His wife Y.S. Bharathi is a businesswoman while his daughter Y.S. Harshini Reddy and Y.S. Varsha Reddy are pursuing higher education.

In his election affidavit, Jagan declared family assets of over Rs 500 crore.

YCP President YS Jaganmohan Reddy will take oath as the Chief Minister of AP on May 30. He will be sworn in at the function to be held at Taraka Rama Stadium in Tirupati. He takes oath after taking blessings at Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple.

TRS Working President KT Rama Rao has extended his best wishes to victorious Jaganmohan Reddy. The TDP is losing all the seats in Kadapa, Nellore and Vizianagaram districts. Pawan Kalyan is losing in Gajuwaka. Jana Sena is losing all assembly and Lok Sabha seats.

Speculation over a post poll scenario brings forth heavy hitters from the regions, sometimes derisively called political weathercocks. So expect their actions and statements to be dissected for hidden meaning. They had been relegated to the fringes after 2014 but appear to be fancying their chances once again in 2019.

Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress Party, who is nipping away at the heels of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, is a key player in state politics.

However, he could be positioning himself for a possible role at the national level — going by his recent remarks, where he said he had forgiven the Congress but also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The YSR Congress Party did not fare well in 2014 in terms of seats won in the Assembly and the Lok Sabha but was right up there with Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in terms of vote percentage.

This is what provided the launch pad for his key position in Andhra Pradesh politics. The YSR Congress Party won eight Lok Sabha seats to the Telugu Desam’s 15 but was ahead on voting percentage — 45.38 per cent to the TDP’s 40.53 per cent. In the Assembly elections, it was just about at the same level, cornering 44.4 per cent of the vote to the TDP’s 44.6 per cent.

This is where Jagan’s strength comes from. If this vote base translates into seats, Reddy could be a big player if the Lok Sabha polls do not throw up a clear winner at the Centre.

His rise is inversely proportional to Naidu’s political fortunes. A combination of the prominent Kapu vote, Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan’s rise — he is a Kapu — and the party’s alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party could make things difficult for Naidu.

In 2014, the BJP and Pawan Kalyan had helped Naidu win by the skin of his teeth. The records will show that the TDP won 102 of 175 Assembly seats with YSR Congress Party winning 66, but as shown earlier, the two parties were at the same level in terms of vote percentage.

Now, Naidu is without the BJP and Pawan Kalyan’s support. That would be advantage Jagan Mohan Reddy, who launched a blistering campaign against the TDP government’s record in governance and corruption in the run-up to polling for the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh on April 11.

If indeed Jagan has a role to play in a post poll scenario, who would he stand with? The answer to that is not a foregone conclusion. The YSR Congress Party has a strong base among Muslims, and he is Christian. But, that might not place him automatically in the anti-BJP camp.

Jagan has a number of criminal and other cases against him — according to his affidavit, he faces 31 criminal cases, seven cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and 11 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act pending against him. If Modi were to ride back to power, the YSR leader might be reminded of these pending cases against him.

On the public forum Jagan has tried to provide clarity, saying he will back the party that provides special category status to Andhra Pradesh — a promise made by the UPA-II government when Andhra Pradesh was divided to create Telangana. That might not entirely hold when all the chips are laid on the table.