VIJAYAWADA: Leader of the Opposition and YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will kick-start party’s election campaign from Idupulapaya on March 16. He will release the party’s candidates’ list for the April 11 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on the occasion. Later in the day, he will address a public meeting at Piduguralla in Gurazala Assembly constituency.
Jagan’s mother YS Vijayamma and sister Sharmila will participate in the party’s election campaign and the party manifesto will be released next week, party leaders said.
The party had earlier planned to announce first list of candidates on Wednesday morning in Hyderabad, but deferred the plan.
YSRC general secretary Talasila Raghuram said they could not finalise the list by Wednesday due to “work pressure” and had decided to release the list on March 16 at Idupulapaya. However, sources said that the party decided not to announce the list from Hyderabad as it would send wrong message that Jagan prefers to function from Telangana. The TDP had already raked up the issue and accused Jagan of dancing to the tunes of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. “Already, the TDP had been playing the Andhra self-respect card by stating that Jagan stays in Hyderabad even as the State was bifurcated five years back,’’ a leader pointed out and added that the party now decided to announce the names of candidates at Idupulapaya.
It is learnt that Jagan will now be staying most of the time at his newly-constructed house in the capital region. After paying tributes to his father late YS Rajasekhara Reddy at the YSR Ghat, Jagan will announce the names of the contesting candidates on March 16. From Idupulapaya, Jagan will reach Piduguralla in Gurazala constituency and address a public meeting. Later, he will reach Vijayawada. “Vijayamma and Sharmila will also participate in the campaign.
They will campaign separately after the candidates file their nominations,’’ Raghuram said. On the second day, Jagan will be campaigning at Narsipatnam, Bhogapuram in Nellimerla constituency and in P Gannavaram constituency. “The entire tour schedule will be released in a day or two,’’ the leader said.
On March 16, there will be only one public meeting while Jagan will be addressing public meetings in three constituencies till March 25. After March 25, he will cover four Assembly segments a day. “Jagan will reach the designated constituency by a helicopter and then travel in a bus and address the public,’’ Raghuram said.
According to party leaders, Jagan’s meetings at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam will cover all the constituencies. The party also said there is no deadline for joining of other party leaders in the YSRC.
Candidates’ list: Why party drops Hyd plan?
Jagan will release the party’s candidates’ list for the April 11 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Idupulapaya on March 16. Sources said that the party decided not to announce the list from Hyderabad as it would send wrong message that Jagan prefers to function from Telangana.