VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed party leaders and cadre to work at the grassroots level to convert the positive sentiment towards the coalition government into votes in the upcoming local body elections.
Addressing the TDP Leadership Conclave at the party headquarters in Mangalagiri on Monday, Naidu said the party should treat the local body elections as a priority and work collectively to ensure victory.
He cautioned leaders against taking the elections lightly and called for close coordination among the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP leaders to ensure there were no differences at the ground level. He said money alone would not ensure electoral victory and that a strong bond with the people and party cadre was the real foundation for success.
Leaders should not neglect the cadre but involve them in party activities and work together, he said. Naidu called upon party leaders to start working towards the 2029 Assembly elections from now and aim for better results than in 2024.
He said he was devoting time every day not only to governance but also to strengthening the party organisation. The immediate priority should be to win the local body elections and use the victory to build a stronger foundation for the next Assembly election, he said.
He also asked party leaders to identify capable women leaders to contest local body elections under women’s reservations. The Chief Minister said leadership should be developed in a manner that could win the confidence of the people and motivate the cadre to work for the party.
He announced that the leadership conclave would be conducted once every three months and asked MLAs to present their best practices at subsequent meetings.
Naidu also asked TDP leaders not to take the alleged misinformation campaign by the YSRCP lightly and to counter it firmly with facts.
Referring to the YSRCP as the “Goddali Party”, he alleged that it was following a “hit-run-hide” strategy and was ready to criticise every development initiative undertaken by the government.
He cited the Veligonda project and the supply of water to Anakapalli through the Polavaram Left Canal as examples of attempts to distort facts by the YSRCP.
Naidu also alleged that the previous government had committed irregularities in the AP Public Service Commission (APPSC). He said the opposition was reluctant to discuss such issues in the Assembly because the facts would come out before the public.