YS Jagan Mohan Reddy set everything aside and getting the ‘Leader of the Opposition‘ status has become the Single Point Agenda.
Today in the Pressmeet on AP Budget 2025, Jagan Mohan Reddy made some interesting comments.
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“I have ‘Opposition Leader‘ Status to Chandrababu Naidu (in 2019). There is no ruling that these many seats are required to give the Opposition Status,” Jagan said.
“That day five TDP MLAs decided to sit separately. TDP has got only seventeen MLAs even then, I gave Chandrababu Naidu the Opposition Leader Status. My men told we will grab ten more MLAs but I said No,” Jagan added.
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Firstly, there is a precedent that 10% seats are required to get the Opposition Status. Congress did not get 10% Seats in the Parliament in 2014 and 2019. There is no ‘Opposition Leader‘ for two terms. There is only Congress Party‘s Floor Leader.
They got the number in 2024 and Rahul Gandhi is the Opposition Leader now.
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At this juncture, we should also discuss a viral video here. In 2019, Jagan was warning Chandrababu Naidu, he can remove a few MLAs from TDP and deny the Opposition Status to him. That means Jagan himself admitted that there is a required number of seats to get the ‘Opposition Status‘.
On the day of Swearing-in ceremony, TDP had 23 MLAs and Chandrababu Naidu automatically became the Opposition Leader without depending on anyone‘s mercy.
It is not true five TDP MLAs decided to sit separately. Only four MLAs defected from TDP – Vallabhaneni Vamsi, Maddali Giri, Karanam Balaram and Vasupalli Ganesh defected.
Even by deducting the four, TDP‘s count is still above the eighteen that is needed.
These MLAs continued as TDP MLAs by not joining YSR Congress fearing to face the By-elections. So there is no question of TDP‘s count coming down.
LoP is not decided after defections. It is usually decided immediately after the elections.
If Jagan says it is him who made Chandrababu Naidu the Opposition Leader even after getting more than 10%, for suppose, if Jagan gets more than 10% in 2029, he should remember that he can not automatically get the ‘Opposition Leader‘ status and Chandrababu should give it.
That is unwanted mess for Jagan Mohan Reddy.
