YS Jaganmohan Reddy is going places. Literally.

No, Filter Kaapi is not predicting the result of the election in Andhra Pradesh. But just in time for the verdict on 23 May, the YSR Congress party and its president are shifting base from Hyderabad to Tadepalli, which falls in the Amaravati capital region in Andhra Pradesh. 

Jagan who is in Pulivendula in Kadapa district till 18 May will return to Hyderabad after which he will move into his newly constructed home in Tadepalli on 21 or 22 April. Though Jagan had conducted the house-warming function at his new residence early this year, he continued to live in Hyderabad. 

In fact, on many days during the election campaign, he would return to Hyderabad instead of spending the night anywhere in Andhra Pradesh. Even on the day of polling on 11 April, he returned to Hyderabad after casting his vote in Pulivendula.

Jagan’s choice of Hyderabad as his operating base despite being Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh was criticised by Chandrababu Naidu who alleged that K Chandrasekhar Rao was ensuring a comfortable stay for Jagan in Hyderabad. Naidu even alleged that Jagan’s candidates were being selected by KCR. The truth was the YSRCP was very worried about Jagan’s movements and phone conversations being continuously monitored by the Intelligence wing of the Andhra police that reported to Naidu. 

Jagan’s residence in Tadepalli, sources say, will also be transformed into his camp office. The party will also formally commence operations from Amaravati this week with a meeting of all the election counting agents of the party at its new office to prepare them for D-day on 23 May.

Though the new office was officially inaugurated on Ugadi in April and the Election manifesto released from there, party activities continued from the Hyderabad office. The fact that the I-PAC office of party strategist Prashant Kishor also was situated in Hyderabad, was another reason why YSRCP unlike the Telugu Desam, did not shift base all these years. 

The party office at Lotus Pond in Hyderabad is now being vacated with furniture, machinery and other party material being moved to the Amaravati YSRCP office.