VIJAYAWADA: Three years ago exactly on January 27, 2023, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh commenced the historic padayatra ‘Yuva Galam’ reflecting the hopes and aspirations of crores of people in the State.
By sounding the battle call against the then YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy through the Yuvagalam Padayatra, Lokesh brought about a fundamental transformation in State politics.
The Yuvagalam Padayatra, which began on January 27, 2023, at the feet of Lord Sri Varadarajaswamy in Kuppam, covered 11 erstwhile districts touching 97 Assembly constituencies, 232 mandals/municipalities, and 2,097 villages.
It continued for 226 days, spanning a distance of 3,132 km. In 90 out of the 97 Assembly constituencies covered by the Yuvagalam Padayatra, alliance candidates emerged victorious.
Leaders of the TDP, who accompanied Lokesh during the Padayatra recalled that during his interaction with unemployed youth plagued by despair and frustration, women living without security and common people burdened by indiscriminate taxation and rising costs, Lokesh extended assurance, saying, “I am with you.”
The Yuvagalam Padayatra, which moved forward listening to people’s hardships and wiping their tears, infused new awareness and confidence among the public, the TDP leaders said.
They further recalled that unlike Jagan Mohan Reddy, who moved ahead casually with weekly offs on Saturdays and Sundays, the Yuvagalam Padayatra did not halt except under unavoidable circumstances such as the arrest of party supremo Chandrababu Naidu and the demise of Taraka Ratna. Even in the scorching 48-degree heat of Rayalaseema, Yuvagalam did not stop. The march continued even amid heavy rains in the Emmiganur constituency.
During the Yuvagalam Padayatra, Lokesh participated in 70 public meetings, 155 interactive sessions, 12 special programmes, and 8 Rachabanda programmes to understand public issues.
He received 4,353 written petitions from people. Over the course of the 226-day padayatra, more than 1.50 crore people met the young leader directly and shared their grievances.
While, Lokesh covered 1,587 km across 44 Assembly constituencies in Rayalaseema, In the erstwhile Nellore district, the Yuvagalam Padayatra covered 10 Assembly constituencies spanning 459 km.
“During the long Yuvagalam Padayatra, Lokesh made numerous promises in line with the aspirations of all sections of society.
The people’s government has begun taking concrete steps to fulfill these assurances. On the very first day of assuming office, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu signed the Mega DSC file.
As per the promise to create 20 lakh jobs for youth within five years of coming to power, Lokesh sweated it out to attract huge investments to generate jobs.
MoUs worth `23.5 lakh crore have been signed so far, paving the way for 16 lakh jobs. Owing to the tireless efforts of
Minister Nara Lokesh, companies such as Google, ArcelorMittal & Nippon Steel, TCS, Cognizant, and LG Electronics have lined up to invest in the State.
With a clear action plan in place for implementing the remaining promises, young leader Nara Lokesh has also set up a dedicated mechanism to ensure their execution,” a senior leader of the TDP explained.
In Prakasam district, it covered eight constituencies over 17 days for 220 km. In Guntur district, 7 constituencies over 16 days for 236 km, and in Krishna district, 6 constituencies over 8 days for 113 km.
In Vijayawada city, people waited along the roads for the young leader even until 4:30 a.m.
The Yuvagalam Padayatra continued for over 23 days in 17 constituencies in the twin Godavari districts.
While 8 constituencies were covered in the erstwhile West Godavari district, 9 constituencies were covered in the combined East Godavari district.
After a 79-day break due to the ‘illegal’ arrest of party chief Chandrababu Naidu, Yuvagalam 2.0 was relaunched on November 27 at Podalada in the Rajole constituency.