Hitting upon a novel idea as part of voter connect programme, Chetty Phalguna, who quit a lucrative career in bank to join politics, has been sleeping in various tribal hamlets for the past two years.
He reaches the villages accompanied by his supporters and eats whatever is offered by the villagers and sleeps along with them.
Now the YSRC candidate from the Araku Assembly constituency, he says the goodwill earned by him thus will make his job easy in defeating his rivals. He is locking horns with TDP nominee and Tribal Welfare Minister Kidari Sravan Kumar, whose father K. Sarveswara Rao was killed by Maoists near here last year. The polls also may see a couple of rebels Pangi Raja Rao from the TDP and Danu Dora from the YSRCP. Mr. Raja Rao declined to contest for MP seat from Araku on the Jana Sena ticket.
"Inspired by our party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s commitment to revive Rajanna [as fans refer to the late YSR] rule, I resigned as an officer of the SBI in 2017 six years ahead of my retirement," he told The Hindu.
A resident of Paderu, he says unlike others he is familiar with the entire topography. He also visited interior areas like Varnada and Bumraput recently to understand the problems faced by the tribals there.
Mr. Phalguna said as most tribal areas had been deprived of road transport and medical facilities he will try his level best to improve them. He says he does not have any fear in reaching out to the voters in the Maoist-hit remote areas. "My mission is to develop my constituency in all the fields. That’s why I left a lucrative career."
Improving drinking water supply, health infrastructure and educational facilities are some of the priorities being spelt out by him during his electioneering.