Poll Activity Heats Up in Andhra Pradesh, 8 Months Ahead of Schedule

Vijayawada: The poll scenario is heating up in Andhra Pradesh even as the assembly and LS elections are eight months away.

YSR Congress president and chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy plans to start administration from Visakhapatnam from the auspicious Dasara day in October and turn this into his party’s campaign plank.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan decided to shift his home to Mangalagiri, in order to fully concentrate on the upcoming elections. The schedule for the next polls will have to be announced six months hence, followed by the nominations, campaign and polling.

Jagan Reddy plans to take to the people subjects like the “conspiracies” of the Telugu Desam and opposition parties against his three-capitals initiative aimed at development of all regions, “suppression of the poor” and “threats” to the welfare schemes, by visiting districts and activating the YSRC campaign machinery.

Pawan Kalyan recently completed his Varahi first phase yatra and is readying to start the second phase yatra in Visakhapatnam zone.

Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu embarked on the Yuddha Bheri yatras, visiting the irrigation projects to highlight the failures of the YSRC government to complete the projects. Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh is engaged in the Yuvagalam padayatra, conducting interactions and public meetings.

Union ministers belonging to the BJP also frequently visited AP state. The BJP high-command concentrated attention on AP by appointing Daggubati Purandeswari as the new president for the party unit, obviously with an eye on the upcoming polls.

All political parties are trying to attract the masses to vote for them in the 2024 elections.

The ruling YSRC faces hurdles in the implementation of the three capitals decision. The party high command fears a negative impact on the YSRC if the government fails to implement the decentralized governance policy.

Reliable sources said CM Jagan is likely to shift state administration to Visakhapatnam on the auspicious festival of Vijayadashami on October 24 after Dasara. The CM, during the Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam in March last, announced his decision for shifting governance to Vizag from September.

Notably, a similar announcement by the YSRC leaders earlier, to shift administration to Vizag in July coinciding with the commencement of the academic year, did not materialise. Now, time is running out for the CM in this respect in view of the approaching polls.

The Jagan-led government had shifted several judicial offices from Amaravati to Kurnool, where he plans to set up the judicial capital. Legally, there is no restriction on the CM vis-à-vis the seat of governance. He can stay anywhere in the state and run it, official sources claimed.

The CM’s security teams visited Vizag on Saturday and inspected various ongoing constructions on the Rushikonda and other places. Further, several ministers and YSRC in-charge of north Andhra, Subba Reddy, declared that Jagan would be shifting base to Visakhapatnam though some legal hurdles were causing a delay. Subba Reddy announced recently that the state secretariat would be moved to Visakhapatnam.

Industries minister Gudivada Amarnath said Jagan would take a sensational decision by Dasara, under which the shifting of the capital would be done by Dasara festival.

Meanwhile, JS leader Pawan Kalyan, who used to do politics in AP by staying in Hyderabad, has decided to shift his home to Mangalagiri. According to sources, Pawan would stay in the Mangalagiri party office. “Pawan will not go to Hyderabad unless he has a shooting schedule.”