All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi has been displaying a highly energetic and aggressive posture, but his party in Andhra Pradesh appears to be weak and lacks the energy to retain its identity, let alone coming to power.
Those who watched Rahul climbing up the seven hills of Tirumala with a lot of pace and ease wondered whether he would infuse the same kind of energy into the party in Andhra Pradesh, which has completely lost its base.
Rahul trekked the seven hills on foot in just around three hours to reach Tirumala the abode of Lord Venkateswara.
He started off his walk from Alipiri at about 11.30 in the morning and climbed the steep steps so briskly that his security persons and other party leaders just could not match him in the pace.
Even his nephew Raihan Vadra, son of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who accompanied Rahul, had lost the race with his maternal uncle.
He was seen frequently gulping the water, as Rahul stopped here and there to greet pilgrims who were going on the pedestrian path to Tirumala.
The security personnel had a tough time all along the footpath route to restrain the pilgrims trekking the hills who are eager to come close with Rahul to greet him.
Earlier Rahul arrived from Delhi by a special flight and immediately drove straight to Alipiri, the foot of the hills to go to Tirumala on foot.
Senior leaders including state party in-charge Oomen Chandy, senior Congress leaders Chinta Mohan, former CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Raghuveera Reddy and a host of others reached Tirumala by road after seeing off Rahul at Alipiri.
Elaborate security arrangements were made all the pedestrian path to Tirumala, Tirupati and also, at the airport in view Congress party president visit to the pilgrim city to participate in the party programme to reassure it's the commitment to special category status to Andhra Pradesh.