A year of gains, political turbulence for Andhra

FOr the Telugu Desam company–led fusion regime in Andhra Pradesh, headed by chief government minister N Chandrababu Naidu, 2025 emerged as a yr of both challenges and opportunities, marking 18 months in office.In contrast, it proved to be a difficult year for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), with several of its leaders landing in jail in connection with various scams and cases.After navigating multiple political and administrative hurdles, Naidu’s dream project — Amaravati — returned to the national spotlight. In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi relaunched the long-stalled capital city works, which had been abandoned during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.At the beginning of the year, the World Bank released US$ 207 million, nearly half of which has already been utilised for capital works, while another US$ 200 million tranche is expected shortly.In addition, Germany’s KfW Bank agreed to extend a ₹5,000-crore loan, HUDCO sanctioned ₹11,000 crore, and the Centre provided ₹1,560 crore in grants. Naidu set a three-year deadline to complete major government infrastructure projects.As part of his expanded vision for Amaravati, the chief minister initiated the second phase of the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS), targeting 16,666 acres across seven villages, to supplement the existing 54,000 acres already pooled.However, the move triggered resistance from farmers, with the YSRCP strongly opposing the plan and demanding justice for farmers who had surrendered land during the first phase before further land acquisition was undertaken.Completing Amaravati is also central to Naidu’s Quantum Vision, which seeks to position the capital as a global innovation hub. A key component of this plan is the proposed Quantum Valley, envisioned as one of the world’s top five quantum computing ecosystems.Being a key alliance partner of the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, Naidu made every effort to get maximum benefits to the state from the Centre using his clout. On January 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Visakhapatnam and launched development projects worth ₹2 lakh crore, including India’s first Green Hydrogen Hub at Pudimadaka.Within a week, on January 17, the Centre announced a ₹11,440-crore bailout package for the crisis-hit Visakhapatnam Steel Plant — a project with deep emotional significance for the people of Andhra Pradesh.The move highlighted the Centre’s willingness to go the extra mile to support its regional ally.The Naidu government also moved with speed to attract industrial giants to the state, with support from the Centre.This year, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel got the government nod for establishing India’s largest greenfield steel plant in Anakapalli and the Centre approved transport of iron ore from Bailadila mines.But the biggest achievement for the Naidu government was to attract US$ 15-billion AI Google data centre investment in Visakhapatnam, besides investment pledges exceeding ₹13 lakh crore at the CII Partnership Summit, and the inauguration of Ratan Tata Innovation Hubs (RTIHs).Together, these reinforced Naidu’s push to transform Andhra Pradesh into a hub for futuristic technologies, green energy and innovation.The NDA government also obliged Naidu’s recommendation for appointing veteran TDP leader P Ashok Gajapathi Raju as the governor of Goa and another senior leader Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar as additional solicitor general.The Prime Minister’s participation in the International Yoga Day at Visakhapatnam was yet another instance of growing influence of Naidu in the central coalition.However, the year also ended with greater scrutiny of TDP ministers at the Centre. The IndiGo crisis exposed the limited administrative grip of Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.What could have been a defining national moment instead became an exercise in damage control.During 2025, the coalition government fulfilled a significant portion of its election promises, with the “Super Six” schemes emerging as flagship initiatives.Under Talliki Vandanam, ₹10,090 crore was directly credited to mothers’ accounts, benefiting 6.72 million students.The Stree Shakti free bus travel scheme, launched on August 15, recorded 32.5 million journeys at a cost of ₹1,144 crore and was later extended to persons with disabilities.Farmer welfare remained a priority, with ₹6,310 crore credited to 4.6 million farmers under Annadata Sukhibhava.Through Deepam-2, women received three free LPG cylinders annually, involving an expenditure of ₹2,684 crore and the distribution of nearly two crore cylinders. Social security pension disbursements crossed a historic ₹50,000 crore, while ₹250 crore was released under Matsyakara Bharosa to benefit 125,000 fishermen.Additional welfare initiatives included assistance to auto drivers, honorariums for pastors, imams and muezzins, enhanced salaries for priests and Nayee Brahmins, and a monthly honorarium for junior lawyers.The revival of Anna Canteens, with 204 canteens reopening, resulted in over 40 million meals being served.On employment, the government took steps towards its promise of creating 2 million jobs, conducting a mega recruitment drive of 15,491 teachers, completing the recruitment of 5,757 police constables, enhancing stipends for trainee constables, and extending gratuity benefits to Anganwadi workers and ASHAs.The CII Partnership Summit alone resulted in 610 MoUs, with investment commitments worth ₹13.25 lakh crore, carrying the potential to generate over 1.6 million jobs.However, some promises remain only partially fulfilled. While Talliki Vandanam and Annadata Sukhibhava were implemented, complaints surfaced over pruning of beneficiary lists.Key poll promises — such as ₹3,000 monthly unemployment allowance and “Ada Bidda Nidhi” ( ₹1,500 per month for women aged 19–59) — are yet to be rolled out.The TDP in 2025 focused heavily on reconnecting with grassroots workers, offering direct access to Naidu and young leader Nara Lokesh. The party’s core strength lay in its leadership synergy—a father-son duo combining experience and new-age energy.While expectations were high for Lokesh’s elevation as TDP working president at the Mahanadu conclave in May, Naidu adopted a cautious approach.To address dissatisfaction among leaders overlooked for nominated posts, the TDP moved swiftly to fill organisational roles from the village to the state level, with a clear eye on replicating its 2024 electoral success in 2029.For Jana Sena Party, 2025 was less about slogans and more about responsibility. Under Pawan Kalyan, the party consciously shifted from emotive politics to administrative engagement.Though criticised for reduced visibility, Jana Sena focused on strengthening governance credentials and laying the groundwork for becoming a full-fledged cadre-based party by 2029.The BJP, as a coalition partner, witnessed no major political breakthroughs in the state but intensified organisational outreach. Newly-appointed state BJP president PVN Madhav undertook statewide tours to build cohesion and chart a long-term plan for expanding the party’s independent presence.For the YSR Congress Party, 2025 was a year of introspection outside power.The party had to face a testing time during the year, with many of its leaders imprisoned in the illegal liquor scam that allegedly took place during the previous Jagan regime. They include: Jagan’s close aides – PV Mithun Reddy, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, P Krishna Mohan Reddy, former IAS officer K Dhananjay Reddy, Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy etc.While former minister Jogi Ramesh was arrested in fake liquor case, others including former minister Kakani Goverdhan Reddy, and ex-MLAs Vallabhaneni Vamsi and Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Posani Krishna Murali were arrested in various other cases.The Tirumala ghee adulteration case, Parakamani foreign currency theft case and forest land encroachment case showed the YSRCP leaders in bad light. Many YSRCP social media activists and workers also had to face imprisonment for allegedly spreading false propaganda against the coalition government.Jagan, however, made every effort to expose the failures of the TDP-led coalition government. The party staged protests and opposed government policies and he succeeded in preventing organisational fragmentation and retaining cadre loyalty.The YSRCP chief continued to hit the roads, raising issues such as MSP for farmers, cyclone compensation, Dalit atrocities, spurious liquor, and unfulfilled promises. His campaign against the alleged privatisation of 10 government medical colleges struck a chord, helping him gather over ten million signatures in protest.The state was shaken by a series of tragedies in 2025. The year began with the death of six devotees and injuries to 35 others in the stampede at Tirupati on January 8, as thousands of them jostled for tickets for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.On April 30, seven people, including four from the same family, were killed and four others injured when a wall adjacent to a queue line collapsed on the devotees at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam.A railing collapse claimed nine lives and left 25 others injured in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Palasa-Kasibugga in Srikakulam district on November 1.In October, a Bengaluru-bound sleeper bus caught fire in Kurnool district, killing 19 passengers and sending shockwaves across the country.The severe cyclonic storm Montha claimed three lives and caused losses estimated at ₹5,233 crore.On the security front, two encounters near Maredumilli in November resulted in the deaths of 13 Maoists, including top leader Madvi Hidma, significantly weakening Left Wing Extremism.Over 50 Maoists surrendered during the year, and police stated that only 13 cadres linked to Andhra Pradesh remain active, largely along the Andhra–Odisha border.