Perform or perish, and the legislators whose graph does not improve cannot expect an extension at the cost of the fortunes of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YRSCP).
The terse and stern warning issued by party founder-president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to his MLAs recently seems to be having the desired impact.
The performance of about 40 MLAs and three Ministers is said to be under the scanner, and the axe may fall on a few of them as they are yet to rise to the expectations, say sources in the party.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy is said to have begun scrutiny of the performance survey reports sourced from various quarters, which suggest that quite a few MLAs have indeed improved their show.
“As per the survey reports, about 15 to 20 MLAs have improved their performance considerably well, and a few others are yet to fall in line,” says a senior party functionary who is privy to the information.
Some MLAs have really worked hard by laying greater focus on the YSRCP government’s public outreach programme, ‘Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam’, the senior leader says.
“The people were happy to see their elected representative at their doorstep. There is positive response, and the graph of some is really improving in their constituencies,” he adds.
In the case of a few leaders, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy feels that they are unable to effectively communicate to the people about the government’s welfare schemes and other initiatives, and has asked them to pull their socks up, lest they should lose their ticket in the ensuing elections.
In the case of a few others, though the feedback from people has been positive, they are found lacking in involving the party cadres and working in tandem with them.
“They need to work in coordination with the party rank and file, apart from being available to the people. This is another criterion that is looked into,” the sources say.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy is taking a holistic view of the performance, and the MLAs need to win the heart of not only the people but also the cadres, the sources say, and add that such leaders should improve their performance at the earliest if they were to be in the fray again.
It may be recalled that prior to the launch of the ‘Gadapa Gadapaku’ programme and after its rollout, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had made it clear that those who fail to meet the expectations would not be given an extension at the cost of the party’s prospects.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, while asserting that the coming nine months were crucial, had said that “only those who take politics seriously and are able to deliver will be picked up again.”
