Panchayat results a wake-up call for TDP
After several twists and turns and a high-voltage confrontation between the state government and the State Election Commissioner, the panchayat elections in Andhra Pradesh finally concluded on Sunday, sending the ruling YSRC into raptures.
Though these polls are supposed to be without the various political parties in the fray, as has been the norm, they turned out to be more of a political affair than anything else. It was no surprise that candidates backed by the YSRC came up trumps as the ruling party usually enjoys an advantage in local polls. But what was unexpected was the abject performance of the candidates sympathetic to the opposition TDP.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s embarrassment was complete when his party’s supporters lost 74 of the 89 panchayats in his own constituency Kuppam—something that has never happened before ever since he made it his home turf in 1989. Notwithstanding his allegations of “murder of democracy”, the writing is on the wall. The party is on a downward spiral with its foundations shaken to the core.
In a way, Naidu’s Kuppam debacle encapsulates the party’s plight. Leadership failure at every level from the grassroots to the top is conspicuous to everyone except Naidu and his coterie. Party insiders bemoan that Naidu is unhinged from reality and fear that his continued reliance on armchair advisors could make the party as lifeless as the Congress with an increasing number of cadre jumping ship.
If Naidu continues the same way, the TDP, which had around 40% vote share even in the 2019 polls, may shrink faster and further to the point of no return, leaving the YSRC with virtually no opposition. It is neither in the interests of the TDP nor the state since a vibrant and constructive opposition is integral to a democracy.
At least now, Naidu must take leaders with ears to the ground into confidence and make them as well as grassroots workers believe they are part of a mission. That, however, cannot be achieved without a vision and infusion of young blood. The former offers hope and the latter enthusiasm, both of which the party sorely needs.