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Chandrababu Naidu puts TDP cadre in ‘now or never’ mode with repeated early Assembly poll talk

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BySouth First Desk

Published Aug 25, 2023 | 3:00 PM ⚊UpdatedAug 25, 2023 | 3:00 PM

File photo of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu during one of his rallies. (Supplied)

The Opposition TDP in Andhra Pradesh is pushing forward with a “now or never” resolve — although the elections to the state Assembly as well as Parliament are still months away.

Party insiders told South First that a high-level meeting of senior leaders would be held on Saturday, 26 August.

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu would unveil a campaign schedule at the meeting. He has already told the party seniors close to him to pull up their socks and get cracking.

TDP’s sudden thrust has sparked speculation of early polls.

Come 1 September, the electorate in Andhra Pradesh would see TDP workers at their doors explaining the Bhavishyathu ki Guarantee — the welfare schemes promised in the party manifesto, released a few months ago.

The TDP workers would be harping on one particular point — that a family of four would benefit to the tune of around ₹1.22 lakh per annum through the promised schemes. The party plans to cover all households in the state in 45 days.

Related: Naidu releases TDP’s AP poll manifesto on NTR’s birth anniversary

Simultaneously, Naidu is gearing up to visit at least 30 Assembly constituencies — three to four a week — in the coming days. He had already visited 145 segments.

“Our boss (Naidu) has received indications from Delhi that the BJP’s central leadership is in a mood to advance the general election by at least two to three months,” a senior leader told South First.

“This has triggered ‘rush hour’ kind of activities in the party’s central office. It’s always better to be ready to face the polls even if they are not advanced and are held as per schedule so that there won’t be any complacency,” he added.

Unconfirmed reports also suggested that N Lokesh may speed up his 4,000 km-plus padayatra, Yuva Galam, or Voice of the Youth. It is learnt that, with rumours of early polls doing the rounds, he would complete the yatra by November. He would cover a greater distance every day and then focus on the poll campaign.

He has already covered over 60 percent of the state by walking more than 2,500 km. The padayatra was originally slated to end in February.

Incidentally, Naidu has been talking about early polls for a year now. Political pandits have been viewing it as a ploy to motivate party workers, who were completely dispirited after the party’s comprehensive loss in the 2019 polls — both to Parliament and the state Assembly.

Also, with the YSRCP government mounting an onslaught on TDP leaders by slapping cases regularly, he might also be hoping that the talk of early elections and possible victory would plug the leak of workers from the party.

YSRCP sources, however, dismissed any talk of early elections.