Birthday Special: Father’s death, rebellion against Congress and journey to jail, yet no power could stop him from becoming CM.

Jagan Mohan Reddy: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is celebrating his 53rd birthday on 21st December 2025. Jagan Reddy is a name in Andhra Pradesh politics that cannot be ignored. He is the President of YSR Congress and is counted among the prominent leaders of the state. Being the son of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, he inherited politics, but his path was not easy. From being a successful businessman to becoming an opposition leader, his journey has been full of ups and downs.

Jagan Mohan was born on 21 December 1972 in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan completed his early education from Hyderabad Public School and later graduated from Nizam College. He has B. Com and MBA degrees, which shows his business acumen. They got married in 1996 and have two daughters. Before joining politics, he started his business career by setting up a power company in Sandur, Karnataka, which he later expanded to the North-Eastern states.

Struggle for power and rebellion against Congress

Jagan Reddy’s business empire grew rapidly after 2004 when his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy became the Chief Minister of the state. During this period, his business expanded to mining, infrastructure, cement and media world. He is also the founder of the famous Telugu newspaper Sakshi and Sakshi TV. His desire to enter politics was in 2004 itself, but Congress did not give him the ticket. Finally in 2009 he was elected MP from Kadapa. But his father’s death in a helicopter crash that same year changed everything. After the death of his father, the post of Chief Minister in Andhra Pradesh became vacant and Jagan wanted to fill it.

Jagan Mohan Reddy (Source- Social Media)

However, the Congress high command did not allow his wish to be fulfilled and K Rosaiah was made the Chief Minister. Jagan ran to Delhi and also met Sonia Gandhi, but it became clear that the party would not make him the CM. On the other hand, many supporters lost their lives due to the shock of Rajasekhara Reddy’s death in the state. Jagan started the Odarpu Yatra in 2010 to meet these families. Congress opposed this, but Jagan did not stop. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rosaiah had to resign and Kiran Kumar Reddy became the new CM. Ultimately, in rebellion, Jagan resigned from the Congress on 29 November 2010.

CBI’s noose and new party

After leaving Congress, Jagan formed ‘Yuvarjana Shramik Ritu Congress’ in March 2011. Formed his new party named (YSR Congress). In the by-elections held in May 2011, he won the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and his mother YS Vijaya won the Pulivendula assembly seat by a landslide. In the 2014 assembly elections, his party performed brilliantly and captured 67 out of 175 seats and Jagan became the leader of the opposition in the assembly. However, as his political stature grew, so did his legal troubles. The opposition raised questions about his assets.

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The controversy deepened when his assets were found to be more than Rs 350 crore in the 2011 election affidavit. Opponents asked where so much wealth came from. On the petition of a Congress minister Shankar Rao and Telugu Desam Party leaders, the High Court ordered a CBI investigation. It was alleged that his father’s government had given benefits to those who invested in Jagan’s companies. In this case, CBI had arrested him in May 2012.

Jagan Mohan Reddy becomes CM of Andhra Pradesh

After being in jail for about 16 months, he got bail in September 2013. Despite all the controversies, Jagan Reddy’s popularity remained intact among his supporters. The result of this popularity was that he created history by winning 151 seats in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and he became the CM of Andhra Pradesh. However, it faced a crushing defeat in the last elections.