The month-long Yuva Galam padayatra of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary N. Lokesh in the undivided Prakasam district appears to have reinvigorated the opposition party to face the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
At a time when a wave in favour of the YSR Congress Party (YSCRP) was sweeping across the State in 2019, the TDP was still able to win four of the 12 Assembly seats in the district in the election that year. However, the MLA from Chirala, Karnam Balarama Krishnamurthy, switched over to the YSRCP after the polls.
The walkathon has come as a big boost to the TDP and has given the much-needed impetus to improve its performance in the next elections, feels TDP State vice-president D. Janardhana Rao. ‘‘We will definitely win a majority this time as the ruling YSRCP is in disarray’‘, he said.
The ruling party is in an unenvious position with groupism coming to the fore in many Assembly constituencies, including Kondepi, S.N. Padu and Giddalur. Sitting MLAs and those opposed to them are washing dirty linen in public and had come close to blows on different occasions.
Spadework done
During the Padayatra, Mr. Lokesh met and built rapport with different sections of people, including farmers, youth and women. There was a groundswell of support for Mr. Lokesh during the padayatra after he covered a distance of 2,200 km near Ongole and highlighted poll promises to ameliorate the living condition of those who struggle to make a living in the wake of the tax burden and soaring prices of all essentials, sources close to Mr. Lokesh said. He also exposed the ‘commissions and omissions’ of the YSRCP government.
Public attendance in the padayathra peaked at Addanki, represented by party MLA G. Ravikumar. The walkathon has also put to test the abilities of sitting MLAs and party in-charges in the district in mobilising people for the event and help Mr. Lokesh shortlist probable party candidates for the coming elections.
Mr. Lokesh, during his meetings with ticket aspirants, had indicated that youth will get preference at the time of finalisation of the party candidates for the elections, according to TDP sources.
