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Jagan Reddy said his party now believes the Election Commission appointments should be made through a neutral mechanism.
Jagan Reddy also called for similar reforms in the appointment of State Election Commissioners. He said the State Election Commissioner should not be appointed by the Chief Minister or the ruling government. (Photo: PTI File)
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed regret over his party’s support for the 2023 law that changed the process for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
Under the law, the selection panel comprises the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The legislation replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union Cabinet minister in the selection panel.
Reddy, whose YSRCP has supported the BJP-led government on several key Bills in Parliament over the years, said his party now believes the Election Commission appointments should be made through a neutral mechanism.
“Whether it is the Election Commissioner or the Chief Election Commissioner at the Centre, a situation should never arise where they are nominated by the ruling parties,” Reddy said.
“At that time, YSRCP supported this process, under which the ruling party at the Centre nominates the members. But today, we regret it. We regret having supported it and admit that we made a mistake,” he added.
Explaining his position, Reddy said, “An examiner cannot be appointed by the student. No matter how honest the examiner is, they will certainly have to face criticism if their appointment is not made by a neutral body.”
Reddy also called for similar reforms in the appointment of State Election Commissioners. He said the State Election Commissioner should not be appointed by the Chief Minister or the ruling government.
“This reform should also be introduced in the State Election Commission. The State Election Commissioner should not be appointed by the Chief Minister or by the ruling government. The appointment should be made by a neutral authority,” he said.
Reddy’s remarks have also fuelled speculation about the YSRCP’s possible entry into the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which is staging massive protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. While the BJP has been allied with N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the YSRCP continued to support the BJP-led government at the Centre on several key issues until now.
After suffering a major setback in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the YSRCP appears to be exploring new political equations at the national level.
It is worth noting that Jagan Reddy quit the Congress following the death of his father, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and later founded the YSR Congress Party. The party went on to register a landslide victory in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, with Reddy becoming Chief Minister.
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Ask News18YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that his party regrets supporting the 2023 law because it allows the ruling party at the Centre to nominate election commissioners. He admitted it was a mistake and asserted that election officials should instead be appointed through a neutral mechanism rather than by the ruling administration.
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Saurabh Verma is a Deputy News Editor at News18.com, specialising in Indian politics and breaking global news. With years of experience tracking election strategies, he decodes domestic issues for mil…Read More
October 18, 2026, 15:25 IST
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