Hyderabad: In a stark departure from his long-standing strategy of tactical cooperation with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) founder and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has openly extended his support to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Condemning the arrest of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, Jagan broke his characteristic silence on anti-establishment protests, demanding comprehensive reforms to restore “trust in the electoral process”.
The shift is highly significant, since it is the first time Jagan has chosen to side with any anti-NDA grouping, interpreted in Andhra’s political circles as the former CM’s first departure from backing the NDA’s policies in its third term at the Centre.
That Jagan’s open backing came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) moved court for day-to-day trial against him, and amid crucial, highly contested local body elections in Andhra Pradesh, has not gone unnoticed. Jagan is facing a total of 11 CBI cases, on the basis of which the ED has filed six charge sheets.
In his post on X, Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “A proactive approach always yields better results than a reactive stance. The system has a flaw that needs to be corrected. Trust in the electoral process must be restored. The arrests of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka do not solve anything; it only aggravates the situation. I empathise with @SauravDassss and @AshutoshRanka.”
A proactive approach always yields better results than a reactive stance. The system has a flaw that needs to be corrected.
Trust in the electoral process must be restored. The arrests of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka do not solve anything; it only aggravates the situation.
I…
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) October 14, 2026
Jagan’s support was welcomed by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who said, “Thank you @ysjagan sir for speaking out against the illegal arrest of Ashu and Saurav.”
Thank you @ysjagan sir for speaking out against the illegal arrest of Ashu and Saurav. https://t.co/SvEYCqmR8B
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 15, 2026
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were placed in five-day judicial custody by the Delhi Police after protesting and waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar after it was delisted as a protest site.
Several political strategies are seen to be behind Jagan Reddy’s calculated shift away from the BJP-led Centre, although politicians across Andhra Pradesh chose to refrain from calling this a departure from NDA’s extended political spectrum.
The strategic shift is being seen as a significant development in Jagan’s political journey, with senior Congress leaders from Andhra also appreciating Jagan’s open stance against the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls.
Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy hasn’t been known to take a stance against the BJP on any national political issue so far. It was the only non-NDA party to support the Delimitation Bill.
Even after Chandrababu Naidu’s support to the NDA and his growing influence within the political alliance, Jagan did not lean toward the Congress—not even after his own electoral defeat.
Therefore, when his post emphasising the need to protect the electoral system, and remark that if the current situation persisted, “we, too, might become cockroaches”, it created a clear disquiet within the BJP, with the party’s only minister in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led cabinet responding in equal measure to Jagan.
Perhaps viewing this as a direct critique of the BJP, Satya Kumar Yadav, the Andhra Pradesh health minister criticised Jagan, noting that the YSRCP chief previously jailed or suppressed dissenters when he was in power in Andhra Pradesh.
“Jagan desperately seeking to be arrested to revive his political fortune. He will be disappointed. If anyone misuses social media to abuse anyone, law will take its own course. Jagan should stop enacting dramas. People of AP thought Jagan was not fit to be Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. Gave him only 11 seats, much short of 18 required to get that status. He is running away from raising people’s issues in the Assembly. It’s because he has no respect for democracy. All that Jagan cares for is money and power,” the minister said on X.
YCP leader @ysjagan is falling into his own trap. There by digging his own political grave. NDA carries democracy in its very name. We never believe in silencing any voice that seeks answers from govt on matters of governance. Questioning govt is the basic feature of democracy.…
— Satya Kumar Yadav (@satyakumar_y) November 14, 2024
However, this has not silenced many who are asking why Jagan expressed sympathy for the arrested leaders—an act that brings him no political gain, only potential harm. Political analyst Ramesh Kandula said the pressure of judicial acceleration by investigating agencies, along with the popular public discontent may have pressured the YSRCP.
“The demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have gained traction among civil society, regional parties, and youth. By backing the CJP, Jagan joins a larger, national opposition narrative to isolate the BJP, shifting public focus from his own legal troubles to systemic democratic integrity,” Kandula said.
However, given that Jagan’s post was not as harsh as his usual posts, nor did it express a single word directly against the BJP even while extending his support to the CJP, Ramesh Kandula said Jagan’s post does not necessarily mean he is severing ties with the BJP leadership.
“He simply does not have that kind of political luxury. One should interpret this post as an attempt to express at least some of his underlying dissatisfaction. By voicing some of his discontent, he could prompt the BJP to acknowledge his needs and concerns,” Kandula said.
With 100 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Andhra gearing up for elections, Jagan, who has consistently blamed his massive 2024 Assembly defeat on electronic voting machine (EVM) discrepancies and election management flaws, could be buying himself leverage to use the same argument in the event of the ULB polls not going in his favour, politicians from the TDP, who spoke to ThePrint, said.
“He is attacking the central election machinery now; this will provide him a rallying cry for the YSRCP cadre to reject the ruling TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance’s local authority and pre-emptively challenges any unfavorable local election outcomes,” the TDP leader told ThePrint.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: ED moves Telangana HC to seek Jagan’s daily court presence for trial in 10-yr-old case