Though the elections are being held in the state of Telangana, it seems that the political parties in Andhra Pradesh are already in their groundings for the general elections to be held in May 2019.
No sooner YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the leader of opposition of Andhra Pradesh State Assembly, has sustained paltry soreness on October 25, 2018, after he was stabbed by an employee of the Airport at the Vishakhapatnam airport than the blame game has begun. While YSR Congress Party held TDP behind the attack, the Telugu Desam Party has winced back the episode as a matter on for sympathy acquisition. Whatsoever the case may be, it seems the election hotness has already been felt by the leading parties in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
On October 27, 2018, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has called on his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to harvest support against the Centre-led BJP government. This meeting turns out to be an initiative for stockpile support to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well as elections for the state Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. Along with the two chief ministers, who had a meeting at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) chief Sharad Yadav was also present for a while. It is also learned that Chandrababu Naidu is likely to meet leaders of various non-NDA opposition parties.
In his press conference, Chandrababu Naidu has made it a mention that the BJP has accused the TDP government of attacking YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had come to Visakhapatnam airport. He said that the airport is under the vigilance of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). However, the BJP has accused the TDP government, said Naidu, of attacking Reddy.
For sure, the meeting of TDP’s chief with the Chief of Aam Admi Party and Chief of LJD attains prominence in the milieu of the developments that have taken place in Andhra Pradesh state politics ever since the TDP has disjoined the NDA government in the center. The outwardly appearing deliberate attacks in the form of IT raid on the personal private firms of the TDP leaders might be one of the reasons behind the AP CM’s meeting with the national leaders.
Unlike the 2014 state assembly elections, which took place soon after the state bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, this time the elections in both Telugu states would have a major impact on the poll verdict — everything is based on the voter’s assessment on the progress of the political party that has been reigning soon after the state bifurcation.
The impressive conquest given to KCR led TRS Party in the state of Telangana and Chandrababu Naidu led TDP by the Telugu people in the 2014 general elections has given so much delight and soothing to both parties as both these parties have fought for their own version of point till the last minute as far as the state bifurcation was concerned. This is one side of the coin.
However, in my opinion, people have given a sweet poison to both these parties. In a sense, both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh could be considered as newly emerged states. Such new entities had a lot many problems to be resolved, before they could pave a way for the smooth functioning of the government, for obvious reasons. No matter who attained the reins of power, the people had lot many expectations from the emerging government. They wanted to see the miracles overnight. For sure, it is very difficult than said. Of course, five years of time is too short for the miracles to happen. But the common man — a voter — will not be in a position to assess all these things. Hence, it is likely that the equations may change in the looming elections as far as the poll verdict is concerned.
In view of the above, the groundwork that has been initiated well in advance by Nara Chandrababu Naidu is an expressive and well-thought move. As it is rightly said that for any wise move there will be a counter move, the opposition parties will not sit idle — for sure they will have their own strategic next move. In this interminable race of strategies, it seems that the groundwork for the 2019 elections has already begun!
– Dr. Suman Kumar Kasturi
