Massive ‘Siddham’ public meeting of YSR Congress booster dose for cadres; Jagan sets tone for 2024 poll campaign

VISAKHAPATNAM: The massive show of party workers drawn from 34 Assembly constituencies of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh at the sprawling grounds at Sangivalasa in Visakhapatnam is indeed a huge draw with the people.

The stage was set for the party’s 2024 election campaign with YSR Congress supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister setting the tone for his “Why not 175 (Assembly seats) and 25 (Lok Sabha seats)” slogan. He infused confidence among the cadres that sincere efforts would ensure more than 60 per cent votes to the party which would obviously deliver the targeted 175/175 seats in the Assembly and 25/25 seats in the Lok Sabha from the State.

Even if it is more than exaggerated, his underlying meaning of the maxim — Aim for the moon and if you miss, you may hit a star — got entrenched in the minds of party cadres.

Also Read: YS Jagan blows poll bugle from Visakhapatnam; inspires cadre to slogan “why not 175 in Assembly”

Jagan has clearly sent the message across the cadres on what to talk in the word of mouth publicity and also bolstered the confidence of the cadres by telling them that all those who had a cell phone in their hands was a social media warrior on behalf of the party.

He wanted them to use all platforms on social media to promote the party and its successes in the last five years in government.

He listed out the achievements himself and asserted that over 90 percent of the households in the State benefited from one programme or the other implemented by the government.

By declaring that he wasn’t “Abhumanyu” caught in “Padmavyuha” as several of his opponents were ganging up together and coming all guns blazing against him.

Likening all the party cadres and people of the State standing behind him like “Lord Krishna” who had stood by and blessed “Arjuna” did strike a sentimental chord with the masses.

Emphatically asserting that he couldn’t be deterred by the nefarious nexus among them, Jagan did not mince words in listing out who all have joined hands — albeit behind the scenes — against him.

Jagan’s oft-repeated assertion in appealing to the people to vote for his party only if they felt they indeed benefited, he openly challenged the TDP and its supremo N Chandrababu Naidu would say the same thing about his governance between 2014 and 2019.

Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena’s playing second fiddle to Naidu was impaled to showcase that those ganging up had no ideological base politically or otherwise.

The optics organised at the public meeting with a walking path designed in the shape of a cross for Jagan to walk the ramp with his signature style of folded hands up in the air. This was a huge hit with the thousands of people gathered there cheered him lustily.

Jagan took to making the people respond to his questions that he was ready and asking them if they were resonated well with the political slogan — as people responded to every question in unison with a response “siddham” that rent the air.

The point he drove home in the mammoth public meeting about their assimilation of the schemes and how pointedly they should carry the messaging about the schemes straight into the people seems a tad like Narendra Modi template.

The benefits reached 92 percent of households in rural and 84 percent of households in urban areas. Even if 60 percent of the people vote for us, no one can stop achieving the 175 mark,” YS Jagan said.

When he said, In the next 75 days, I want every party leader to visit every household in the state and explain to the citizens how Chandrababu made over 600 promises in 2014 election manifesto but failed to fulfill even 10 percent,” he meant to draw a contrast between his regime and the Naidu rule.

His pitch that he provided a corruption-free government while implementing the schemes and giving government jobs was surely a meticulously bid to demonstrate his confidence.

Jagan would have done better with his speech as he is great at extempore, supported by some pointers and facts. Reading into the prepared text was a bit of a handicap and a speed breaker to his free flow of powerful and loaded expressions.

Another flaw seen in the show was standing of over 50 people behind him camouflaging him from being uniquely and conspicuously seen.

The campaign managers must ensure that only he stands out in the optics a la Narendra Modi who doesn’t even allow his own security men between him and the cameras.