For incumbent BJP MLA from Visakahapatnam- North, Vishnu Kumar Raju, the day starts at 7 a.m.

The election campaign is picking up pace with every passing day and it starts with visits to various parks in his constituency and the idea is to catch up with morning walkers.

But ever since he began his campaign, it has been an uphill task, as people question him about various issues such as Special Category Status and Railway Zone.

He is candid enough to admit that it is a difficult task to convince people, but he puts the onus on the negative campaign being run by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and how he is controlling a major part of the media through paid news. “My job is to tell the truth and it is becoming a huge task,” he said.

On Monday, when he was asked by a walker about SCS, he patiently explained about the concept of SCS and said that the Central Government has allocated to the tune of ₹17,500 crore as a special package to which Mr. Naidu had agreed and had also gone on record appreciating the Centre’s allocation in the Assembly but took a U-Turn, for reasons better known to him.

Walking down a few furlongs ahead he was confronted by another walker who demanded to know why Waltair Division was abolished in the newly formed South Coastal Railway Zone, which would lead to a loss of ₹6,500 crore.

He explained to the walker that all the money earned goes to the Indian Railway and no division or zone decides on the financial allocations for different project and it is all centralised. “But look at the larger picture and the future benefits,” he told the walker.

‘Negative campaign’

He agrees that with the negative campaign by the CM and certain sections of the media, the image of BJP has been dented but he feels that his personal image will see him through.

On his winning chances and acceptance by the people he said, “I am accessible, I have worked for my constituency, I met over 70,000 people in my five-year tenure, my accountability in Assembly and people know about my integrity.”

According to Mr. Raju, he was present for 126 days out of 128 Assembly days and spoke for about 31 hours and 10 minutes in the Assembly, standing next to CM with 80 hours and 44 minutes.

“I acted as an Opposition leader in the Assembly, as Mr. Jagan and his MLAs were absent from March 2017. Even Mr. Jagan spoke for only 26 hours. I also worked beyond my constituency, by highlighting the need of staff nurses in government hospitals and land scams in various regions in Visakhapatnam,” he said.

After his morning session, Mr. Raju visits various areas in the constituency and takes up door-to-door canvassing at each house he tries to explain that every scheme such as housing and insurance to farmers have 50% contribution from the Centre and they are not exclusive State government programmes.

At the end of the day, he wraps up his meeting by holding a couple of roadshows.