Why Jagan Mohan Reddy Insists on Opposition Status Recognition in Andhra Pradesh

Former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has written a letter to Speaker Ayanna Patrudu requesting that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) be granted opposition status in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Additionally, the YSRCP has filed a petition in the High Court seeking orders to this effect. The party's argument is that there is no rule requiring a party to have ten percent of the seats in the Assembly to be granted opposition status. Jagan cites previous instances in the Lok Sabha, Delhi Assembly, and the undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly where opposition status was granted regardless of seat percentage.

Jagan points out that in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, the TDP was given opposition status with only 30 MP seats. Similarly, in the 1994 undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress was granted opposition status with just 26 seats, and in the 2015 Delhi Assembly, the BJP received opposition status with only three seats.