Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy (born 21 December 1972), also known as Y. S. Jagan or Jagan is an Indian politician serving as the 17th and current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since 2019. He is also the founder and president of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). He is the son of the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He had served as the leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2019.[1]
Jagan Mohan Reddy started his political career by campaigning for the Indian National Congress in the 2004 Andhra Pradesh state elections in Kadapa district. He was elected as Member of Parliament from Kadapa constituency as a member of the Indian National Congress in the 2009 Indian general election. After his father Rajasekhar Reddy's sudden death, his popular Ōdārpu Yatra, a consoling tour for the people, led him to form YSR Congress Party in 2011. He led the party to several victories at both the state and national levels. His party won in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election with 151 seats of the total 175 seats, one of the landslide victories in the history of Andhra Pradesh.
Jagan Mohan Reddy was born on 21 December 1972 in Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh to Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Y. S. Vijayamma.[2][3] He studied at The Hyderabad Public School up to 12th grade.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.[2][3] He has a younger sister, Y. S. Sharmila, who is also a politician.[4] His parents were Christians.[5][6]
On his religious beliefs, Reddy said, "Humanity is my religion".[7] In December 2020, Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed a writ petition of quo warranto against Reddy which claimed that he visited Tirumala Venkateswara Temple despite being a non-Hindu. The Court observed that the petitioner failed to show any material evidence on record which establishes Reddy as a professing Christian. The court further noted that one cannot be considered a Christian merely for attending the prayers in Churches.[8]
Reddy married Bharathi Reddy on 28 August 1996.[2][3] The couple has two daughters, the eldest of whom studied undergraduate in London.[2][3]
Political career
Jagan Mohan Reddy's father Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR, was a two-time chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 2004 to 2009. He started his political career campaigning for Indian National Congress during the 2004 elections in Kadapa district.[9] In 2009, he was elected as Member of Parliament from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.[9]
Following the death of his father in September 2009, he started efforts to take up the political legacy left by his father. The majority of the legislators favored him to be appointed as the Chief Minister, but this choice was not approved by party leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Six months after his father's death, he began an odarpu yatra (condolence tour), as promised earlier, to go and meet the families of those alleged to have either committed suicide or suffered ill health on the news of his father's death. The Congress party's central leadership directed him to call off his odarpu yatra, an order which he defied leading to a fallout between the high command and himself. He went ahead with the yatra, stating that it was a personal matter.[10]