2024 poll bugle: YSRC army of 5.20 lakh Gruha Saradhis step into action

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as YSRC president is pressing into action a massive party army of 5.20 lakh Gruha Saradhis into action to attract every family/house towards the YSRC party under its micromanagement poll strategy.

This would be done through an extensive ground network that would bring voters to the polling booth on the day of the election. The network is similar to the Panna Pramukh system of the BJP, which worked well in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat state elections.

The BJP adopted this strategy by appointing panna pramukhs for a set of 60 voters, who formed a single page on the electoral roll. The Pramukh was chosen from the same list. The responsibilities of panna pramukhs included meeting voters on the list allotted to them and ensuring that they turned up at the polling booth to vote on polling day.

And when it’s not election time, these foot-soldiers of the BJP run a parallel administration system. They bring government schemes to the doorstep of beneficiaries, act as intermediaries for any work or problems that families under their jurisdiction may have with government authorities, and passively campaign for the BJP. Volunteers are on government payroll. They must only work towards benefiting the people and not the ruling party.

Notably, the state election commission recently barred the volunteers from electoral duties. So using these volunteers as party workers may land the YSRC in trouble during the elections. Hence Jagan launched the Gruha Saradhi concept.

The Gruha Saradhis system is formed on the panna pramukh lines with some local changes, under which a strong party network of 5.2 lakh Gruha Saradhis across the 15,000-odd villages in every nook and corner of Andhra Pradesh is coming into being.

The Village and Ward Secretariats and Volunteer system proved to be very helpful to the government to deliver services at doorsteps and now Gruha Saradhis are going to become caretakers to a set of families and take the YSRC and its government closer to every house.

Jagan Mohan Reddy , who gives top priority to women, is also appointing one female and one male as Gruha Saradhis for every 50 families, which is usable to female Gruha Saradhis to increase their rapport with women voters.

There will be 45,000 conveners who will coordinate the party work with them. Political analysts say that volunteers were already rendering good services at the doorsteps. Now these Gruha Saradhis will turn themselves into family friends by resolving issues and problems of the locals. This would reduce the concerns of the rebel voters in the next 16 months.

They said Jagan Mohan Reddy wants the Gruha Saradhi network cadres to meet at least 1.6 crore families in 10-15 days and this would definitely be of help to the YSRC.

They noted that Jagan targeted all the 175 assembly seats, which is a Herculean task, but using Gruha Saradhis, party coordinators and the 45,000 conveners, this task will be made achievable to a large extent.

Senior party leaders said, “By the time the polls arrive, these Gruha Saradhis will go and meet multiple families under their cluster. This way the families and voters will be constantly reminded about the government programmes. The Saradhis will keep interacting with them on a day-to-day basis. We have also developed a system to monitor the activity.”