The Andhra Pradesh CM also told them to "warn everyone that if they don’t vote for the YSRCP, all the welfare schemes will stop".
Published Feb 28, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 28, 2024 | 8:21 AM
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Supplied)
In an internal meeting with the party cadre in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed around 2,000 party workers, including constituency in-charges and mandal convenors, on booth-level political strategies and public outreach.
This meeting comes after the Opposition TDP-JSP released the first list of 99 candidates for the elections.
The YSRCP is expected to release the manifesto and a formal list of candidates by the first or second week of March, with the elections likely to be scheduled in mid-April.
Cautioning his party members to prepare (‘Siddham‘) for the elections, he emphasised mainly two “mantras”/
One was public outreach. Jagan instructed the party cadres to convey to the public that if they did not vote for the YSRCP, all welfare initiatives would cease under the TDP-JSP coalition.
The other focus was on the booth structure, where he directed constituency leaders to form booth teams consisting of 15-18 members, including volunteers and Gruha Saradhis.
Jagan also said on the occasion, “People voted for us because of trust. Now, I want all party workers to visit every household and talk about how manifesto promises have been fulfilled.”
He claimed that a total of 87 percent of households benefited from government welfare schemes all over the state.
The party members in the internal meeting. (Supplied)
“This election is not going to be a caste war; it’s going to be a class war. I want you all to go to every household and convey that if Jagan is there, the welfare schemes will continue,” said Jagan.
He added, “Warn everyone that if they don’t vote for the YSRCP, all the welfare schemes will stop.”
He further criticised the TDP for the poor implementation of its manifesto promises from 2014-2019.
He remarked, “Naidu made all these promises without knowing how it would be possible to fulfil. We don’t do that. What we say, we do. Our manifesto is our bible. But for TDP, their manifesto goes to the dustbin because they don’t care about the poor.”
In emphasising the importance of public outreach and the party’s structure at the constituency level during elections, Jagan urged all MLAs and in-charges to assess their booth-level structure.
“Take every Grama Sachivalayam/ Ward Sachivalayam (GS/WS) as one unit, and appoint a credible person who can equip the cadre as well as monitor them. But you all need to be available at all times. Even if you receive calls at midnight, you should answer them,” he said.
— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) February 27, 2024
Taking it a step further, he instructed the MLAs and in-charges to connect with volunteers and Gruha Saradhis and form their own teams. Each booth team should consist of 15-18 members, he said.
It is noteworthy that after the Opposition and the NGO Citizens For Democracy — started by former bureaucrats — complained about the role of volunteers in the YSRCP’s campaigns, the ECI recently barred them from 2024 election duties.
“I’ve done whatever I could in my capacity. Now it’s your turn; I want you all to win,” concluded Jagan.
Read our earlier report on volunteers, secretariat, Gruha Saradhis and the adjacent system engaged in voter-profiling in Andhra Pradesh.
