After Yuva Galam Failure, Lokesh Embarks on Shankharavam Yatra. Any Takers for It?

Amaravati: Stung by the pre-poll surveys’ predictions of YSRCP’s victory in the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections with a thumping majority, the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is now getting into the poll mode. The party has announced that its general secretary Nara Lokesh will embark on an election campaign titled ‘Shankharavam’ on February 11.

Nara Lokesh has chosen Ichchapuram of Srikakulam district to launch his poll campaign. Notably, the TDP leader had ended his last year’s ‘Yuva Galam' padayatra at this place and now he’s planning to begin another campaign from the same location barely a few weeks before the state goes to polls. 

According to the opposition party, the TDP scion will cover the assembly constituencies during ‘Shankharavam’ campaign which were not covered in the previous yatra. The young leader has been tasked with the campaigning of 120 assembly constituencies in less than two months time. 

It all sounds pleasing in theory. The party leadership has failed to see the reality on ground. The tsunami of ruling YSRCP is waiting to hit the remains of TDP in the forthcoming elections. The opposition party was seen by the people how they struggled to complete Lokesh’s previous padayatra. When the young leader faced with miled response from the people, he paused his ‘Yuva Galam' foot march citing his father and TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest in the multicore skill development scam case. 

Both the first and second phases of his padayatra proved to be utter flops. The party leaders tried their best to portray the padayatra as a huge success. Last November, the party leaders were seen allegedly distributing money among the labourers for attending the padayatra conducted in Amalapuram of Konaseema district. The party also reached out to the TDP-friendly media to promote his foot march through their platforms.  

Lokesh is not the kind of charismatic leader who can salvage the TDP in the elections. Even the appeal of Naidu to support the TDP is falling on deaf ears. Recently, Naidu conducted a couple of public meetings as part of ‘Ra Kadali Ra’ campaigns, however, these rallies proved to be a damp squib as people have realised that the development of the state is possible only under the able leadership of chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the voters are saying that they are ‘Siddham’ (ready) to give another chance to the ruling YSRCP in the upcoming elections. 

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