GUNTUR: IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday launched his election campaign from the Mangalagiri Assembly segment. He began the day by offering special pujas and paying obeisance to the presiding deity at the Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple on reaching Mangalagiri.
Later, he also offered prayers in a church and mosque in the town and sought the support of the members of Christian and Muslim communities. On Thursday night, he called upon some local TDP leaders and sought their support.
Addressing a meeting with the party leaders and workers at the Royal Convention, he said he was fortunate enough to be in the fray from Mangalagiri and if he wins, he would be lucky to serve the public.
Lokesh said that some leaders have requested him to contest from the Rayalaseema region, but he decided to be in the fray from Mangalagiri Assembly segment thanks to the assurance given by the local TDP leaders.
Stating that the TDP has lost Mangalagiri Assembly seat from 1989, he said that he aims to change Mangalagiri as the Gachibowli of Hyderabad. And to this end, he appealed to the people to vote for the TDP in the coming polls. He said he and his father, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, have been residing in Mangalagiri segment for the past three years and his father would develop the town as the best city in the State if TDP wins from here.
Lokesh alleged that YSRC is a “drama party” and always tried to defame the State’s image. Alleging that farmers did not give a single acre of land to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ambitious Bullet train project, but voluntarily came forward to give thousands of acres for Amaravati.