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Jagan begins poll yatra early, but his party has a long way to go

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Amarnath K Menon
Amarnath K MenonNov 05, 2017 | 12:53

Jagan begins poll yatra early, but his party has a long way to go

Jagan has emphasised repeatedly that his party is determined to carry forward the legacy of his father.

YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy is aspiring to gain from the first mover's advantage by kick-starting his election campaign on November 6, after paying obeisance to his father at YS Rajasekhara Reddy's grave on the family estate at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district.

Jagan, as he is popularly known, is setting out on a long trek, covering more than 3,000 km across the state over the next seven months, in anticipation of the next legislative assembly election being called in advance - any time after October 2018 - by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, even though the ruling TDP's five-year tenure ends only in June 2019.

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At first, Jagan planned to start his Praja Sankalpa Padayatra on November 2, but put it off to November 6 as he has to appear in a CBI special court in Hyderabad every Friday in connection with the ongoing trial of one of the 11 cases relating to disproportionate assets against him.

So, he opted for an auspicious start by praying at the Tirumala temple before daybreak on November 4 and beginning the march from his family estate on November 6, like he has done in the past - after praying at his father's grave. This is more than a symbolic start.

Jagan has emphasised repeatedly that his party is determined to carry forward the legacy of his father and the pro-poor policies initiated by Rajasekhara Reddy as chief minister, which enabled him to get re-elected in 2009 and continue it until his tragic end in a helicopter crash.

There have been speculations that chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu may call elections before his term ends. Photo: PTI
There have been speculations that chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu may call elections before his term ends. Photo: PTI

It enabled Jagan put up a stiff fight before losing out by a relatively small margin to N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP in 2014 and emerge as the Leader of the Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

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However, Jagan has found it challenging to hold on to all 45 MLAs elected on the party ticket. Already, 22 MLAs and two MPs have switched loyalties to the ruling TDP. The latest is Vanatala Rajeswari, who with her supporters called on Naidu at his Amaravati residence on November 4 to try and embarrass Jagan.

The YSR Congress alleges that the TDP made this strategic move to score brownie points and weaken the opposition. The YSR Congress is to boycott the winter session of the legislative assembly beginning November 10, protesting the inaction of the TDP government against political defectors. It is the only opposition party in the legislative assembly.

There is speculation about another eight MLAs switching to the TDP in the coming months, even as Jagan does the rounds of the districts on his trek. Unfazed by the impending setbacks, he is hoping to rally wider public support to dislodge the TDP.

"The Praja Sankalpa Padayatra is to reach out to the inaccessible and interact with over two crore people of the state," said Jagan. "My appeal is to seek support for building a better Andhra Pradesh where development has taken a back seat due to the misplaced priorities of the Chandrababu Naidu government."

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He is to walk through 125 assembly constituencies, highlighting the failures of the TDP rule and the need for according Special Category Status to the state in order to make good its losses by the state reorganisation of 2014. The plan is to trek in the mornings and meet locals in the afternoons. He will take a break on Fridays to appear in court.

The remaining 50 assembly constituencies are to be covered later by a bus tour. The YSR Congress' game plan is to capitalise on the party chief's tour by making a firsthand appraisal of issues, constituency by constituency, draft a party manifesto for each constituency and then distil its contents to prepare a state-level manifesto.

Some analysts say that by switching to poll mode and setting out early on a trek that may take more than 180 days, Jagan may seem jaded at election time. An ambitious person who was eager to succeed his father as CM but was denied that by the Congress, Jagan is determined to do all it takes to seize power.

Both the TDP and the YSRC face an uphill task if they decide to go alone - while the former has neutralised the adverse impact of incumbency, YSRC is wanting in a large number of credible middle-level leaders. Leveraging on magnanimity in striking the right alliances to gain votes is the key.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Last updated: November 06, 2017 | 12:03
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