YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said Jagan chose Vizag to launch the 'Siddham' campaign since the city is set to become the state's administrative capital.
Published Jan 27, 2024 | 1:03 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 27, 2024 | 1:03 PM
YS Jagan 'Siddham' campaign poster. (Supplied)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to sound the Andhra Pradesh Assembly poll bugle at his first interaction with party workers on Saturday, 27 January, five years after assuming power in the state.
The party has coined a single-word election campaign slogan, Siddham, meaning “Ready” in Telugu.
Jagan will address a massive rally at Bheemunipatnam in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, the YSRCP said, adding that three to four lakh party workers, representing 34 Assembly segments spread over six districts in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, were expected to attend.
YSRCP General Secretary and advisor to the Chief Minister Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said “the City of Destiny”, as Visakhapatnam is known, was selected to launch the poll campaign since it was poised to become the administrative capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Party sources said that the YSRCP campaign would address the cadre’s concerns regarding the TDP-Jana Sena alliance and Jagan’s sister YS Sharmila’s entry into political Andhra Pradesh as the president of the state Congress unit.
MLAs, MLCs, the party’s social media in-charge of each constituency, and other leaders would attend the meeting. Sources hinted that the party workers would be provided an opportunity to pose questions at Jagan on various matters.
The Chief Minister would be randomly selecting written questions from a box, the sources said.
Jagan is planning five similar meetings across the state to mobilise the cadre ahead of the elections. Political circles viewed his move as a bid to rebrand himself as a leader more accessible than ever.
Even since coming to power, the Opposition has been accusing Jagan of being inaccessible to the public and even to his party workers. The accusation gathered strength as a few MLAs left the party, citing inaccessibility to the Chief Minister.
Sources suggested that the planned meetings would address the perception of inaccessibility, one of the reasons that has gone against the party.
With the TDP’s national president N Chandrababu Naidu launching the Ra Kadali Ra (Come and Join) campaign and Sharmila touring the districts, the YSRCP seemed to be in no mood to waste more time in launching its poll campaign.
Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, too, has been preparing for the campaign trail.
“The YSRCP, along with the consultancy firm iPAC, plans to flood the social media with Siddham content over the next 50 days,” a party source told South First.
Sources also indicated that posters and content were being carefully created to feature the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s image alongside Jagan to retain the YSR sympathisers, specifically against the backdrop of Sharmila seeking to use the YSR legacy to revive the Congress.
Although Sharmila had criticised Jagan for allegedly deviating from YSR’s ideology and aligning with the BJP since assuming power, the chief minister had not specifically named her but indirectly referred to her as part of a TDP-Congress plan.
YSRCP regional coordinator YV Subba Reddy, who addressed the media earlier, said Jagan would address all issues related to his governance, besides providing befitting replies to the conspiracies of Opposition parties and leaders, including his sibling from Telangana.
