TDP postures as being on rise in word-of-mouth publicity in social media, upping ante against Jagan

AMARAVATI: The political heat in the sibling State of Telangana has been simmering what with the rekindling of hopes in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh that a change is possible.

While it is difficult to fathom the impact of the arrest and incarceration of TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu a few months ago, the social media buzz being orchestrated by the party has already declared him the winner in the ensuing Assembly elections in the State.

Creating an impression that it is on the rise against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, social media has been dumping stories that the TDP-Jana Sena Party (JSP) combine is poised to win the elections, despite Pawan Kalyan party’s dismal performance in the recent Telangana elections. Telangana BJP chief and union Minister G Kishan Reddy later argued that alliance with the JSP dampened the chances of the BJP in that State.

In addition to the umpteen number of reels and YouTube stories that flooded cyberspace, there were a couple of fake surveys implanted in the mainstream media to amplify the buzz. The Aadhan Chanakya survey that predicted victory for TDP in the 2019 elections, has declared TDP-JSP as a winner in the 2024 elections. It predicted 115-128 seats out of 175 Assembly Constituencies for the TDP-JSP combine.

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The Rise survey by Praveen Pullata, even predicted that the ruling YSRCP would get a measly 28 seats. Indian Strategy Survey whose antecedents were not known predicted victory for the TDP-JSP combine. However, these surveys were done before the entry of YS Sharmila into AP politics and did not factor in her role in splitting the opposition vote.

Interestingly, the latest Times Now-ETG survey forecast a YSR Congress sweep in the Lok Sabha elections. It predicted 24-25 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats to the party.

Future Guarantee by the TDP

The TDP’s “Babu Surety - Bhavishyathu guarantee” is being trusted by the party as its flagship slogan. The TDP has created too many slogans like “Psycho Povaali - Cycle raavaali”, “quit Jagan”, “idem karma" Bring Back Babu”. “Raa kadaliraa”, and “Nijam Gelavaali” have all been doing the rounds with the party suddenly getting mired in the maze of slogans, as opposed to YSR Congress party’s “Maa Bhavishathu nuvve Jagan", "Why not 175", "Jaganannaki chabudaam" etc.

While the six guarantees of the Telangana Congress created enough traction and buzz playing a vital role in the victory of that party in Telangana, the ‘Bhavishyattu Guarantee’ (Future Guarantee) of the TDP which was announced during Mahanadu in Rajamahendravaram failed to create that kind of a buzz, following the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu in skill scam.

Knowing very well that it would be difficult to match YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the social welfare plank, the TDP announced a ‘Bhavishyathuku Guarantee Registration’ site even before coming to power.

Under this guarantee registration, the TDP promised to provide essential benefits to the voters of Andhra Pradesh. Essential benefits such as protection for Backward communities (BCs), tap water for every household, jobs for the educated youth of the state, and many other benefits. The TDP is trying to inject into the brains of farmers of Andhra Pradesh thst they will also benefit from Bhavishyathuku Guarantee Registration, they say.

The TDP copied the ‘Mahasakti’ programme for women from ‘Mahalakshmi’ of the Congress, covering ‘Adabidda Nidhi’, ‘Talliki Vandanam’, ‘Deepam’ the free three-gas cylinder scheme, and free bus travel for women in APSRTC buses. Akin to the unemployment dole declared by A. Revanth Reddy’s Government, Naidu announced a Rs 3,000 dole to the unemployed youth in the State. Under ‘Anna Data’ similar to that of the ‘Rytu Bharosa’ scheme already in implementation in AP and Telangana, the TDP after coming to power has promised to distribute Rs 20,000 per farmer per year.

Lokesh Yuvagalam vs Praja Sankalpa Yatra

The recently concluded Yuva Galam (Voice of the Youth) walkathon of the TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh might not yield the expected result of connecting with the people. People started comparing the ‘Yuva Galam’ with the ‘Praja Sankalpa yatra’ of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy which had changed the way politics were done in Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, the YSRCP made a clean sweep by winning 151 of the 175 Assembly seats and winning 22 of 25 MP seats in the State.

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Analysts say that Lokesh should have continued with the Yuva Galam Padyatra when his father was arrested. Instead, he halted his walkathon for 79 days after Chandrababu Naidu was arrested in September in the Skill scam. He spent most of his time in New Delhi trying to escape from his arrest in several cases. In all, Lokesh walked through 97 Assembly constituencies covering 3,000 km. At present Nara Lokesh resumed his interaction with neutral voters and door-to-door visits in the Mangalagiri constituency.

Naidu and Bhuvaneswari’s ‘Raa Kadaliraa’ yatra

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu undertook the ‘Raa-Kadaliraa’ yatra on January 5, 2024, and his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari embarked on a three-day ‘Nijam Gelavali’ Yatra covering Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts.

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Under this public outreach programme, Naidu will address public meetings in 22 Lok Sabha constituencies till January 29. Some of the meetings will be jointly organised by the TDP and Jana Sena Party, and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan, to create a bonhomie between the cadre of both parties.

Just before the 'Raa Kadaliraa' public meeting in Tiruvuru, Naidu lost his strong man in Vijayawada, Kesineni Nani the sitting TDP MP as Naidu preferred his brother Kasinath to Nani. Naidu’s emissaries even walked up to the sitting MP and requested him not to attend party work. Instead of creating cohesion among the TDP workers, the episode resulted in the resignation of Nani’s daughter Swetha a corporator in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation a future candidate for the Mayor post from the TDP.