Congress wins a second term, narrowly
What happened
The Indian National Congress won a second term in Andhra Pradesh, though with far less room to spare than before.
It took 156 of the 294 seats on offer.
That left it 8 seats clear of a majority.
Its closest rival, the Telugu Desam Party, trailed with 92 seats on 28.1% of the vote.
The INC itself polled 36.5% of the vote, enough on its own to govern again.
The campaign
Film actor Chiranjeevi launched the Praja Rajyam Party at a public meeting in Tirupati on 26 August 2008, entering electoral politics as a new centrist alternative.1
The Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India formed the Maha Kutami on 21 January 2009, finalising seat-sharing only about 48 hours before the nomination deadline.2
The Maha Kutami released its manifesto on 3 April 2009, promising a monthly cash transfer of Rs 2,000 per family, a free colour television to every household, and a resolution of the Telangana issue.3
Chiranjeevi himself contested two seats, Tirupati and Palakollu in West Godavari district, as his new party fielded candidates in 288 of the 294 seats.4
After polling concluded, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi extended support to the National Democratic Alliance before votes were counted on 16 May 2009, and the Maha Kutami itself dissolved the following month.5
- 1Chiranjeevi Launches Praja Rajyam Party in Tirupati — Praja Rajyam Party, Chiranjeevi
- 2TDP, TRS and Left Parties Form the Maha Kutami — Maha Kutami (2009), Maha Kutami (2009)
- 3Maha Kutami Releases Its Election Manifesto — Maha Kutami (2009), Maha Kutami (2009)
- 4Chiranjeevi Contests From Two Constituencies — Chiranjeevi, Praja Rajyam Party
- 5TRS Extends Post-Poll Support to the NDA — Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Maha Kutami (2009)
What changed
This was the first election on Andhra Pradesh's new boundaries, and INC's seat count fell sharply even though it won again.
The redraw was a delimitation — the official redrawing of constituency boundaries, which happens every so often as India's population shifts.
It won 156 seats, down from 185 before.
The new arrival was PRAP, entering the assembly for the first time.
Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, rose +2.7 pp from before — the highest recorded in the state to that point.
Notable numbers
The tightest race was Nellore City, Andhra Pradesh, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of 90 votes.
Bahdurpura, Andhra Pradesh had the widest margin of the election, 61.4% of the vote separating the top two finishers.
Palair, Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest turnout of any seat, 89.2%.
Nizamabad (Urban), Andhra Pradesh recorded the lowest turnout of any seat, 39.7%.
Lal Bahadur Nagar, Andhra Pradesh was the state's largest constituency by registered voters, with 4,12,728 on its rolls.
Ongole, Andhra Pradesh drew the most candidates anywhere, 25 names on the ballot.
The backdrop
Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956, merging Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking Telangana districts of Hyderabad State.6
NT Rama Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party in 1982, and it went on to end 27 years of unbroken Indian National Congress rule in the state. NTR was sworn in as the state's first non-Congress Chief Minister on 9 January 1983.7
- 6Formation of Andhra Pradesh — Andhra Pradesh (1956–2014), 1957 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, 1955 Andhra State Legislative Assembly election
- 7Telugu Desam Party Founded, Ends Congress's Unbroken Rule — Telugu Desam Party