Jagan Mohan Reddy: The new kingmaker and CM of Seemandhra?

He’s apparently the most Googled man in Andhra Pradesh and apparently rivals Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi when it comes to internet search traffic. So yes, the YSR Congress chief is expected to be the next big thing in Andhra Pradesh. Jagan Mohan Reddy, riding high on ill will thanks to the creation of Telangana, is pretty certain of being a kingmaker in the Centre and also becoming the next chief minister of the Seemandhra region. “Well, Seemandhra votes one way. Historically, we have seen this. They give a huge majority to the winning party…It is traditionally Telangana that throws up a fractured mandate and gives mixed results,” Reddy told the Times of India today, in comments that may provide some clue to his sudden fierce opposition to the division of Andhra Pradesh despite cautiously supporting it earlier. [caption id=“attachment_1439015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Jagan Reddy will be hoping to emerge as the strongest political front in the Seemandhra region. AP[/caption] He’s also consulting a global consultancy firm about the next capital city of Seemandhra but he’s leaving the final decision to the central government. According to Jagan, he will force him to ally with the next government at the Centre , no matter who it is. It doesn’t hurt that he’s in the running for 25 seats in the Lok Sabha and 175 MLAs in the state assembly for the new state of Seemandhra. The party presently has two seats in the Lok Sabha but this will be the first general elections that it will be contesting and is hoping to get its formula just right.  The party is reportedly going to be banking on young candidates, two former bureaucrats and two industrialists in the upcoming polls, according to the Hindu. Given he will be contesting in Telangana as well, if Jagan’s calculations are right, he could have over 25 seats to contribute to whoever comes to power in the next two months. Jagan may make it sound like he’s compelled to join the next alliance at the centre, but if he’s got his math right he may well decide who gets to be the next Prime Minister.