VIJAYAWADA: At the age of 73, Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is all set to embark on a year-long tour of districts from Wednesday. But the question here is, would it help TDP bounce back and emerge as a strong contender to the ruling YSR Congress in the next elections.
With less than two years remaining for the elections to the State Assembly, Naidu has decided to sustain the josh, the TDP cadres got from the success of the party annual conclave Mahanadu.
After facing a series of debacles in all the elections to the local bodies, the morale of the TDP cadres took a beating and it went to abysmal low following TDP's humiliating defeat in Kuppam being represented by Naidu.
However, the success of Mahanadu boosted the morale of the cadres and the party leadership has decided to continue the tempo by way of organising different programmes. Naidu's district tour before the proposed Padayatra to be undertaken by TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, most probably from Gandhi Jayanti, is seen as an indication to take the party into the people once again.
When contacted by The New Indian Express, TDP Politburo member Varla Ramaiah asserted that people are eagerly waiting for Naidu's return to power and the district tours will definitely help the party to regain its glory.
The second day of the tour is exclusively dedicated to interaction with the party activists, which will be held on the lines of a family gathering. Naidu will instil confidence among TDP activists that the party is with them through direct interaction, he said.
However, another TDP leader said apart from highlighting the 'failures' and destructive policies of the YSRC government, Naidu will also iron out differences among TDP leaders in the district level by sending a strong message that groupism within the party will not be tolerated.
According to TDP sources, Naidu's tours will be taken out with the slogan 'NTR Sphoorthy - Chandranna Bharosa' (NTR's inspiration and Chandranna's assurance). This is being held as part of the year-long NTR birth centenary celebrations.
Naidu will tour each district for three days. On the first day of the tour of Anakapalli on Wednesday, he will participate in the district Mahanadu in Chodavaram Assembly constituency. On the second day of the tour, Naidu will hold meetings with the leaders and main activists of the party in all the seven Assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency.
On the third day, he will address 'Badude Badudu' roadshows. He will tour at least two districts every month. The TDP chief will cover over 100 Assembly segments. He will tour at least two districts a month, a leader said.