A tug of war over claiming credit

For a while, allegations of ‘vote chori’ — the deletion or removal of names from electoral rolls — by the BJP-led Central government and the Election Commission of India dominated the national political discourse. As that rhetoric subsided, a similar narrative began gaining prominence in Andhra Pradesh, with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) accusing the current government of ‘credit chori’, or of taking credit for projects and policies laid down during Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure.

During the 2024 Assembly elections, the TDP campaigned hard on infrastructure and investment, claiming that Mr. Reddy’s five-year rule had neglected both. Post-election, the new ‘double-engine’ government went on to showcase Andhra Pradesh as a major hub for investment, highlighting the State’s improved infrastructure.

In October 2025, Google announced plans to build a massive one-gigawatt AI data centre campus in Visakhapatnam. The project — Google’s largest AI hub outside the U.S. — will cost nearly $15 billion over five years, ending in 2030. The TDP, led by Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh, credited the investor-friendly, proactive approach and ease-of-doing-business policies of the Naidu government.

But the YSRCP was not ready to let the narrative slip away. It pointed to the groundwork it laid between 2019 and 2024 — including allotting land to companies such as the Adani Group and providing bureaucratic clearances. It argued that the TDP’s claim was an instance of ‘credit chori.’

For the YSRCP, claiming the Google deal appears to be less about pride and more about damage control. Under constant attack from the NDA for its policies, such as mandating 75% job reservation for locals, which drew widespread criticism nationally, the party is clearly keen to avoid conceding full credit to the NDA.

The YSRCP also came under attack for failing to develop infrastructure in the State. Pothole-ridden roads became a major poll plank for the NDA. When the first test flight landed at the Alluri Sitharama Raju Greenfield International Airport at Bhogapuram on January 4, both sides once again engaged in a credit war.

It 2019, it was during the TDP government’s tenure that the foundation stone for the airport was laid. However, just months later, Mr. Reddy assumed office as Chief Minister. The YSRCP claims this marked a turning point. It asserts that the project gained momentum after the foundation stone was re-laid by Mr. Reddy in 2023. According to the party, land acquisition and key clearances were completed during Mr. Reddy’s five-year tenure, paving the way for completion of the airport.

The TDP, however, maintains that the project was conceptualised and initiated during its tenure and that the remaining processes were carried forward. It points out that TDP MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu holds the Civil Aviation portfolio in the NDA government at the Centre.

Even farmer-focused initiatives are caught in the narrative battle. Mr. Reddy claimed that the comprehensive land resurvey conducted during his tenure enabled the issuance of the new pattadar passbooks to farmers. But the TDP criticised the YSRCP-issued passbooks for showing Mr. Reddy’s photo. Calling it unacceptable, it replaced these with passbooks displaying the State emblem. The TDP asserts that the new passbooks are also error-free — a result of reforms in the revenue system.

What prompted Mr. Reddy to push for the inclusion of his name in the completion of the airport project and the finalisation of the Google data centre deal? It is that the TDP has long accused him of failing to advance projects initiated by the previous TDP government — unlike his father, former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and the subsequent Chief Ministers of united Andhra. Mr. Reddy also stalled the Amaravati capital project and slowed the Polavaram Irrigation Project.

The YSRCP aims to shake off the image of having hindered development. It also wants to claim credit for completing two major projects that could transform the State — particularly north coastal Andhra, where the party had performed poorly in the 2024 elections.

While both the YSRCP and TDP are eager to stake their claim to these projects, the timelines provide a clearer indication of who deserves the credit. Ultimately, it will be up to the electorate to decide.