After back-to-back victories in the panchayat and municipal elections, the YSRCP is clearly on a bull run to win the Tirupati (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
For the ruling party, which is putting a no-holds-barred fight, a win here means much more than retaining its own seat that had fallen vacant with the demise of party MP Balli Durgaprasada Rao due to COVID-19.
This is also considered a barometer on the level of people’s faith retained, two years after its stunning victory in 2019.
Surprise choice
Chief Minister and party supremo Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s selection of a political novice is also understandably meant to send a clear signal that his personal charisma, late YSR’s legacy, the party symbol, and the implementation of welfare schemes alone matter at the hustings.
The choice of the candidate Maddila Gurumoorthy, who had served as Mr. Jagan’s personal physiotherapist during his padayatra, came suddenly out of the blue, and he has little to boast of compared to his rivals in the fray, considered giants in terms of political exposure or administrative experience.
The party leadership, apparently brushing aside this factor, has moved many top leaders to Tirupati to ensure a huge victory margin of five lakh votes.
Apart from top-rung leaders such as Y.V. Subba Reddy, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy and K. Narayanaswamy, the Chief Minister has personally deployed a Minister to each of the seven Assembly segments, viz. Perni Nani for Tirupati, P. Anil Kumar for Gudur, A. Suresh for Sarvepalli, M. Goutham Reddy for Sullurpet, K. Kannababu for Srikalahasti, K. Nani for Satyavedu and B. Srinivasa Reddy for Venkatagiri. The seven local MLAs are also sweating it out in the scorching sun to reach out to the last voter in the hinterland.
Party MLA and senior leader B. Karunakar Reddy says a victory by a huge margin will also silence its detractors, who have been cornering the ruling party on issues of religious conversion, desecration of idols and undue interference in temple affairs.
Queried about the oft-made blame of volunteers intimidating voters on continuance of social security benefits, Government Whip Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy says a thumping win will finish such baseless arguments, as the parliamentary elections have nothing to do with pensions or ration.