1996 Indian general election in Andhra Pradesh: Difference between revisions
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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In August 1995, Nara Chandrababu Naidu overthrew the [[Government of Andhra Pradesh]] formed by the actor-turned-politician [[N. T. Rama Rao]] (NTR) in a [[coup d'état]]. With the support of 190 MLAs and NTR's family, Naidu forced NTR to resign and formed his own government. This led to a division in the [[Telugu Desam Party]], founded by NTR, splitting in two camps – Telugu Desam Party (NTR) (TDP (NTR)) and Telugu Desam Party (Naidu) (TDPN) – the former headed by NTR and the later by Chandrababu Naidu, who is also the son-in-law to NTR |
In August 1995, Nara Chandrababu Naidu overthrew the [[Government of Andhra Pradesh]] formed by the actor-turned-politician [[N. T. Rama Rao]] (NTR) in a [[coup d'état]]. With the support of 190 MLAs and NTR's family, Naidu forced NTR to resign and formed his own government. This led to a division in the [[Telugu Desam Party]], founded by NTR, splitting in two camps – Telugu Desam Party (NTR) (TDP (NTR)) and Telugu Desam Party (Naidu) (TDPN) – the former headed by NTR and the later by Chandrababu Naidu, who is also the son-in-law to NTR.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|p=2452}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Menon |first=Vandana |date=2018-03-09 |title=Founded by movie legend NTR, Telugu Desam Party has always punched above its weight |url=https://theprint.in/theprint-essential/founded-ntr-tdp-punched-above-its-weight/40380/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== Parties and alliances == |
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Following NTR's death on 18 January 1996, the TDP (NTR) fell into the hands of his second-wife, [[Lakshmi Parvathi]]. The party was renamed Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi) (TDPLP).{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|p=2452}}<ref name=":0" /> Janata Dal, a member of the [[National Front (India)|National Front]] coalition, supported her campaign largely as a sign of commemorating NTR, who headed the coalition.<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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=== Telugu Desam Party (Naidu) === |
=== Telugu Desam Party (Naidu) === |
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Nara Chandrababu Naidu saw this election as an opportunity to cement his credibility and legitimacy as the political successor to NTR. It also marked the first time Naidu leading his party into an election and had high stakes for the party's future. The [[Election Commission of India]] acknowledged his faction as the authentic Telugu Desam Party and assigned the bicycle symbol that the original TDP used. The left parties – [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI) and [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (CPIM) – which were allies with TDP since 1984, allied with TDPN.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
Nara Chandrababu Naidu saw this election as an opportunity to cement his credibility and legitimacy as the political successor to NTR. It also marked the first time Naidu leading his party into an election and had high stakes for the party's future. The [[Election Commission of India]] acknowledged his faction as the authentic Telugu Desam Party and assigned the bicycle symbol that the original TDP used. The left parties – [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI) and [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (CPIM) – which were allies with TDP since 1984, allied with TDPN.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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Lakshmi Parvathi toured around the state with her oratorial skills drawing huge crowds to her campaign. She portrayed the coup as an injustice to NTR and called upon the electorate to defeat the "back-stabbers" in the polls.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} Janata Dal, a member of the [[National Front (India)|National Front]] coalition, supported her campaign largely as a sign of commemorating NTR, who headed the coalition.<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} Akin to NTR's political journey, Parvathi started her campaign in Tirupati aboard "Taraka Rama Chaitanya Ratham", a campaign vehicle resembling the popular "Chaitanya Ratham" used by NTR. The emotional appeal of playing a voice recording of NTR, in which he refers to Naidu and the MLAs who backed him during the coup as "traitors", was often employed. Observing the response to her campaign and the sympathy she had gained among the populace following NTR's death, political analysts predicted her decisive victory in the elections.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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=== Congress(I) === |
=== Congress(I) === |
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=== Others === |
=== Others === |
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Other political parties have no significant extent in the state. The [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) and the [[Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen]] (MIM) were restricted to the twin cities of [[Hyderabad]]–[[Secunderabad]]. The BJP, despite contesting in 40 constituencies in the 1991 general elections, was able to win only in Secunderabad. However, it received a considerable amount of vote share in the state, particularly in the [[Telangana]] region. The Janata Dal was deteriorated of its support base.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|p=2453}} |
Other political parties have no significant extent in the state. The [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) and the [[Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen]] (MIM) were restricted to the twin cities of [[Hyderabad]]–[[Secunderabad]]. The BJP, despite contesting in 40 constituencies in the 1991 general elections, was able to win only in Secunderabad. However, it received a considerable amount of vote share in the state, particularly in the [[Telangana]] region. The Janata Dal was deteriorated of its support base.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|p=2453}} |
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== Campaign == |
|||
=== Lakshmi Parvathi's campaign === |
|||
Akin to NTR's political journey, she started her campaign in [[Tirupati]] aboard "Taraka Rama Chaitanya Ratham", a campaign vehicle resembling the popular "Chaitanya Ratham" used by NTR, and toured around the state. Her oratorial skills drawing huge crowds to her campaign despite of a lack of charisma that NTR commanded. She portrayed the coup as an injustice to NTR and called upon the electorate to defeat the "back-stabbers" in the polls. She used the metaphor "Naraasura Samhaaram" ({{Translation|killing of demon named Nara}}), referring to Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The emotional appeal of playing a voice recording of NTR, in which he refers to Naidu and the MLAs who backed him during the coup as "traitors", was often employed.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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She presented herself as "anti-Naidu" but never as "anti-Congress", one of the main ideologies of NTR. This led to speculations that she would support Congress after the elections. Observing the response to her campaign and the sympathy she had gained among the populace following NTR's death, political analysts predicted her decisive victory in the elections. <!-- The pre-poll surveys conducted by --> As time progressed, her party witnessed a significant exodus of politicians who played a major role in facilitating NTR's politics down at the local level. There were also hardly any competent leaders at the mid-level in the party.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
|||
=== Chandrababu Naidu's campaign === |
|||
Naidu's strategy involved thorough planning and its execution. He spared no effort to showcase his association with NTR and his policies. Rhetoric involving NTR's pictures was widely deployed as a tool to appeal to the voter-base. NTR's speeches in which he praised Naidu were cherrypicked and played throughout the campaign. One such recordings was from 1984, when NTR was re-instated as the chief minister after the coup, and lauded Naidu for his immense efforts made to reinstate him, was the most often used.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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Naidu fell short of Parvathi in terms of diction and crowd-pulling capabilities. To counter this, he used the medium of satellite television networks and thus expanded his reach into the far-flung communities. He directed the MLAs of his party into active campaigning supervision in their respective constituencies. He made all efforts to portray to the public that he was maintaining the populist welfare policies that NTR put into action.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|pp=2452-3}} |
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== [[United Andhra Pradesh]] == |
== [[United Andhra Pradesh]] == |
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== Analysis == |
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The election, which marked the first to be held after NTR's death, served as the battle ground between Naidu-led and Parvathi-led TDP factions to seize the NTR's remnant political influence. Naidu's decision to sustain prohibition and subsidised rice scheme, both of which are NTR's populist welfare policies, paid off leading him to victory in the election.{{Sfn|Srinivasulu|Sarangi|1999|p=2453}} |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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The 1996 Indian general election polls in United Andhra Pradesh were held for 42 seats in the state. The result was a victory for the Indian National Congress which won 22 out of 42 seats.[1] This was the first election contested by the TDP since its leader Chandrababu Naidu ousted the party founder N. T. Rama Rao in a palace coup in August 1995 and the latter's untimely death a few months later.
Background
In August 1995, Nara Chandrababu Naidu overthrew the Government of Andhra Pradesh formed by the actor-turned-politician N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) in a coup d'état. With the support of 190 MLAs and NTR's family, Naidu forced NTR to resign and formed his own government. This led to a division in the Telugu Desam Party, founded by NTR, splitting in two camps – Telugu Desam Party (NTR) (TDP (NTR)) and Telugu Desam Party (Naidu) (TDPN) – the former headed by NTR and the later by Chandrababu Naidu, who is also the son-in-law to NTR.[2][3]
Parties and alliances
Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi)
Following NTR's death on 18 January 1996, the TDP (NTR) fell into the hands of his second-wife, Lakshmi Parvathi. The party was renamed Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi) (TDPLP).[2][3] Janata Dal, a member of the National Front coalition, supported her campaign largely as a sign of commemorating NTR, who headed the coalition.[3][4]
Telugu Desam Party (Naidu)
Nara Chandrababu Naidu saw this election as an opportunity to cement his credibility and legitimacy as the political successor to NTR. It also marked the first time Naidu leading his party into an election and had high stakes for the party's future. The Election Commission of India acknowledged his faction as the authentic Telugu Desam Party and assigned the bicycle symbol that the original TDP used. The left parties – Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) – which were allies with TDP since 1984, allied with TDPN.[4]
Congress(I)
The Indian National Congress maintained a monopoly in the power structure in the state since its inception in 1956 until 1983 when NTR-led TDP won the 1983 Assembly elections.[5] The sudden death of NTR followed by the split in TDP into TDPN and TDPLP significantly increased the opportunities for the Indian National Congress (I), led by Indira Gandhi. The party's strategy to retain power at the national level relied on securing a considerable proportion of seats from the state. Congress sustained a reliable support in the state, in the form of one-third voters being its supporters, during the NTR-era since 1983 led to confidence buildup among its leadership of victory in the elections that the party made little effort to reconcile its internal differences. The then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao hailed from the state and thus raised the stakes of the political future for the party in the state.[6]
Others
Other political parties have no significant extent in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) were restricted to the twin cities of Hyderabad–Secunderabad. The BJP, despite contesting in 40 constituencies in the 1991 general elections, was able to win only in Secunderabad. However, it received a considerable amount of vote share in the state, particularly in the Telangana region. The Janata Dal was deteriorated of its support base.[6]
Campaign
Lakshmi Parvathi's campaign
Akin to NTR's political journey, she started her campaign in Tirupati aboard "Taraka Rama Chaitanya Ratham", a campaign vehicle resembling the popular "Chaitanya Ratham" used by NTR, and toured around the state. Her oratorial skills drawing huge crowds to her campaign despite of a lack of charisma that NTR commanded. She portrayed the coup as an injustice to NTR and called upon the electorate to defeat the "back-stabbers" in the polls. She used the metaphor "Naraasura Samhaaram" (transl. killing of demon named Nara), referring to Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The emotional appeal of playing a voice recording of NTR, in which he refers to Naidu and the MLAs who backed him during the coup as "traitors", was often employed.[4]
She presented herself as "anti-Naidu" but never as "anti-Congress", one of the main ideologies of NTR. This led to speculations that she would support Congress after the elections. Observing the response to her campaign and the sympathy she had gained among the populace following NTR's death, political analysts predicted her decisive victory in the elections. As time progressed, her party witnessed a significant exodus of politicians who played a major role in facilitating NTR's politics down at the local level. There were also hardly any competent leaders at the mid-level in the party.[4]
Chandrababu Naidu's campaign
Naidu's strategy involved thorough planning and its execution. He spared no effort to showcase his association with NTR and his policies. Rhetoric involving NTR's pictures was widely deployed as a tool to appeal to the voter-base. NTR's speeches in which he praised Naidu were cherrypicked and played throughout the campaign. One such recordings was from 1984, when NTR was re-instated as the chief minister after the coup, and lauded Naidu for his immense efforts made to reinstate him, was the most often used.[4]
Naidu fell short of Parvathi in terms of diction and crowd-pulling capabilities. To counter this, he used the medium of satellite television networks and thus expanded his reach into the far-flung communities. He directed the MLAs of his party into active campaigning supervision in their respective constituencies. He made all efforts to portray to the public that he was maintaining the populist welfare policies that NTR put into action.[4]
Voting and results
Results by alliance
| INC | SEATS | NF | SEATS | OTHERS | SEATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | 22 | TDP | 16 | AIMIM | 1 |
| CPI | 2 | NTRTDP(LP) | 0 | ||
| CPI(M) | 1 | ||||
| TOTAL (1996) | 22 | TOTAL (1996) | 19 | TOTAL (1996) | 1 |
| TOTAL (1991) | n/a | TOTAL (1991) | n/a | TOTAL (1991) | n/a |
Analysis
The election, which marked the first to be held after NTR's death, served as the battle ground between Naidu-led and Parvathi-led TDP factions to seize the NTR's remnant political influence. Naidu's decision to sustain prohibition and subsidised rice scheme, both of which are NTR's populist welfare policies, paid off leading him to victory in the election.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Past Election Results". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ a b Srinivasulu & Sarangi 1999, p. 2452.
- ^ a b c Menon, Vandana (9 March 2018). "Founded by movie legend NTR, Telugu Desam Party has always punched above its weight". ThePrint. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Srinivasulu & Sarangi 1999, pp. 2452–3.
- ^ Srinivasulu & Sarangi 1999, p. 2450.
- ^ a b c Srinivasulu & Sarangi 1999, p. 2453.
Bibliography
- Srinivasulu, K.; Sarangi, Prakash (1999). "Political Realignments in Post-NTR Andhra Pradesh". Economic and Political Weekly. 34 (34/35): 2449–2458. ISSN 0012-9976 – via JSTOR.