In two days, the Telugu Desam Party-led National Democratic Alliance government in Andhra Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, will complete 100 days in office.
During these 100 days, Naidu made some achievements but also faced several challenges that tested his leadership. So far, there have been few complaints from the public, aside from some sporadic negative comments about local leaders.
Perhaps, people feel that 100 days is too short a period to assess Naidu's government's performance. However, Naidu has much more to do to create a lasting positive impact on the people.
The chief minister signed off on five crucial decisions: filling 16,347 teacher posts through a mega recruitment drive, repealing the Land Titling Act, revising pensions from â¹3,000 to â¹4,000, reviving Anna Canteens, and conducting a skill census to identify the talents of educated youth to improve their employability.
Of these promises, the pension enhancement — from â¹3,000 to â¹4,000 for the elderly and â¹6,000 for the physically challenged — is being implemented smoothly.
Secondly, Naidu's government has relaunched Anna Canteens across the state, though not fully.
Thirdly, it repealed the controversial Land Titling Act and initiated a fresh land survey. However, the mega recruitment drive for teachers and the skill census have yet to begin.
Regarding the remaining "Super Six" promises — like Talliki Vandanam (a revised Amma Vodi scheme, giving â¹20,000 to mothers for each child attending school), Adabidda Nidhi (â¹1,500 per month to eligible women), interest-free loans to DWCRA women, free RTC bus rides for women, and three LPG cylinders for poor families — the government has not made any headway.
Some of these are expected to be approved at the Wednesday cabinet meeting, but it remains to be seen when they will be implemented.
Naidu has made progress on restoring Amaravati and speeding up the Polavaram irrigation project on the Godavari River. He developed a roadmap to revive both projects, securing significant allocations in the Union budget.
Amaravati is now bustling with activity, and work on Polavaram is set to begin in November. Naidu made the wise decision to retain the previous contractor, MEIL, selected by the Jagan government to construct a new diaphragm wall and complete the dam.
Naidu also negotiated with various industrialists and central government undertakings to invite investments, generate employment, and create wealth, after initially explaining the state's finances and infrastructure projects through a series of white papers.
Another key decision was reviving the free sand policy to boost the construction sector. However, there have been criticisms of large-scale corruption in sand supply at the grassroots level, which Naidu must address to protect his image.
One of Naidu’s biggest challenges over the past 100 days was handling the flood situation in Vijayawada due to heavy inflows into the Krishna and Budameru rivers, as well as flooding caused by the overflowing Yeleru canal and Kolleru lake.
Although Naidu managed the situation effectively, he couldn’t entirely prevent criticism, though public complaints were minimal regarding flood relief efforts.
A few incidents, such as the deaths of 17 people in a mishap at Achyutapuram pharma SEZ and food poisoning cases in schools and colleges, also posed major headaches for Naidu.
Naidu has also faced accusations of engaging in revenge politics. From day one, his government initiated probes into YSRCP leaders and officials from the previous administration for alleged wrongdoings.
There have been allegations that TDP leaders and cadre have acted aggressively, attacking YSRCP leaders in various locations and destroying statues of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
In a similar vein, Naidu denied postings to 16 IPS officers and required them to sign in daily at the DGP office, which critics saw as an act of revenge. Three of these officers were suspended for their alleged involvement in the harassment of Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani during the Jagan regime.
The YSR Congress Party has been vocal in its opposition, accusing Naidu’s government of enforcing a "Red Book Constitution" rather than upholding the rule of law. Despite this, Naidu has consistently warned that he will not tolerate anyone causing trouble for his government.