2023 crucial to political parties in AP as stage getting set for big battle of 2024

VIJAYAWADA: New Year 2023 will see the political temperature at its height in Andhra Pradesh. Parties are gearing themselves up with a long series of public meetings, road shows and padayatras as the stage is getting set for the ‘big battle 2024’ -- when the state will have both assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as president of the YSR Congress is seeking a second term on the basis of his widely popular welfare schemes. At every public meeting, he tells people to judge his government by its performance and explains how he has fulfilled 95 per cent of the poll promises he had made in 2019.

Jagan Reddy is touring the districts, addressing public meetings, interacting with constituency-wise YSRC leaders and cadres, reviewing performances of legislators and conducting swift surveys to gauge the public mood.

Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu has embarked on political tours in the name of Badude Badudu. His son Nara Lokesh is set to start the Yuva Galam Walkathon from January 27. Jana Sena chief and cine hero K Pawan Kalyan would start a Bus Yatra on his Varaahi vehicle from this month.

Interestingly, the Congress that lost the Andhra public’s trust after the united AP’s bifurcation, plans to conduct padayatras in all the 175 assembly segments from Jan 26 to March 26 to attract the masses and regain its past glory.

The BJP claiming to sail with the JS under a poll alliance is devising plans to conduct political programmes and padayatras in 2023, to ready the party’s rank and file for the Big Battle 2024.

Jagan, who floated the YSRC in 2011 after resigning from the Congress, followed in the footsteps of his late father by undertaking a 3,648-km padyatra in 2017-18. It propelled the YSRC to power in 2019, winning 151 MLA seats and 22 MP seats. The YSRC then strengthened its position by winning all the local body and municipal elections.

The ruling YSRC is so upbeat by the series of victories that it has set for itself the ambitious goal of winning all the 175 assembly seats.

The chief minister, at every public meeting, asks the people to judge his government by its performance, explaining the fulfillment of 95 per cent of his 2019 promises. Jagan, ministers and YSRC leaders repeatedly highlight the fact the party’s government credited a whopping Rs 1.75 lakh crore directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes. They are also explaining the reforms the government brought in the education and health sectors.

The ruling party, which has launched a mass contact programme 'Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam', is trying to attract the ‘dissatisfied’ among the people by stepping forward and resolving their issues.

Jagan as CM, in a recent step, increased the upper age limit for police aspirants, hiked social security pensions, and is flawlessly implementing all the welfare schemes without a break. The YSRC is banking on the government’s welfare schemes and its decentralization of administration through village and ward secretariats and volunteers as the two planks to face the battle of the ballot in 2024.

Main Opposition TD that faced massive drubbing at the hands of the YSRC for the past three years now appears to have recovered some ground. This is evident from the successes of Naidu’s road shows and meetings. Naidu, who regained his composure after a state of utter hopelessness, is declaring 2024 as his last election. He’s gripped by a “do or die” spirit and is pressing his son Lokesh too into high action.