The ruling YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is making all out efforts to return to power for a second successive term, which it believes will completely decimate the Telugu Desam Party.
Jagan’s primary objective is to see that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu should not come to power at any cost.
If the YSRC can stop Naidu in the next elections, it will be the end of the road for the TDP, as Naidu would have neither age nor energy to fight the 2029 elections, when he will be nearing 80 years.
But Naidu is going all out to win the elections and despite being 72 years old – he will be turning 74 in 2024, he has been actively touring different parts of the state and putting up an aggressive attack on the Jagan government. And he has been able to convince the people that he has the energies to fight the next elections.
So, the YSRC think tank is learnt to have decided to change its strategy.
The party knows that people are looking up to Naidu as an alternative but are not ready to accept his son Nara Lokesh as a potential leader of the TDP. While Naidu is still an asset for the TDP, Lokesh is a liability.
That is precisely why the strategists of the YSRC are planning to come out with a new campaign strategy. As part of this campaign, the party is going to focus more on projecting Lokesh as the prime target, instead of Naidu.
The ruling party wants to project that Naidu has grown too old to run the administration, even if he is voted to power.
“If the TDP comes to power, it will not be Naidu who will become the chief minister, as he has no energies to rule the state. He will certainly make his son as the CM. If a failed politician like Lokesh becomes CM, the state will go to dogs.”
This is going to be the YSRC’s latest campaign strategy.
“So, don’t vote for the TDP by looking at Naidu as he won’t be ruling the state. Instead, vote for a dynamic leader like Jagan, who has shown what a welfare government is all about,” the YSRC will campaign.
Apparently sensing the YSRC strategy, Naidu is learnt to have asked his party leaders not to talk about his age in any of their public talk.
“The people will judge whether I am active or ageing. I am confident of convincing them that I will be the chief minister next time,” he reportedly told them.