Nara Lokesh padayatra is already creating a buzz — but will it work for him?

The unveiling of the yatra’s well-designed logo and a 20-second teaser was significant for what it omitted. In what is seen as an attempt to bring Lokesh out of his father’s shadow, there is no mention of party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu. Instead, it has images of TDP founder NT Rama Rao.

So, will the padayatra do the trick for Lokesh, who was unsuccessful in his maiden electoral contest from Mangalagiri in 2019?

Well, Andhra Pradesh voters are partial to padayatras.

To rejuvenate the Congress, YS Rajasekhara Reddy undertook a 1,475-km walkathon across then united Andhra Pradesh and eventually brought the party back into power in 2004 and became chief minister. Similarly, in a bid to resurrect the fortunes of the TDP, Naidu embarked on a 2,800-km padayatra in 2012. And became chief minister in 2014.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy followed in the footsteps of his father and embarked on his Praja Sankalpa Yatra in 2017, covering 3,648 km — and stormed to power in 2019.

While such history should be heartening for Nara Lokesh, he may also want to remember that Jagan’s sister Sharmila had traversed the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh when he was in jail, but could not prevent the TDP’s march to power in 2014.

And in a state where superstition is rife among the political class, the fact that the formal announcement of the padayatra was made on the day eight party workers died in a tragic stampede at Naidu’s roadshow in Kandukur, is being seen as a bad omen.