VIJAYAWADA: The TDP rank and file were in a jubilant mood even as the Yuva Galam Padayatra by the party general secretary Nara Lokesh crossed the 2,500-km milestone in Mangalagiri, the constituency from where the leader is going to contest in the upcoming polls, and entered Vijayawada city on Saturday.
Party leaders accompanying Lokesh observed that the walkathon, besides portraying Lokesh as the true successor of party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, infused confidence among the cadres.
The party general secretary received a tumultuous welcome from the public as he crossed Prakasam Barrage and entered Vijayawada. The 1.25-km long stretch across the Krishna River was jam-packed with people.
Starting from the One Town area under Vijayawada West constituency, the padayatra covered several main junctions under Vijayawada Central and East constituencies.
Lokesh’s Vij visit a morale booster for cadres: Ex-Min
People turned out in large numbers as they waited along the footpaths and medians to get a glimpse of Lokesh. However, a section of party workers were disappointed as the padayatra would be limited to one-and-a-half days. “It would have been better if Lokesh would have spent at least a day in each of the three constituencies in Vijayawada,”they opined. Meanwhile, a stampede-like situation prevailed at Chuttugunta junction as the surging crowd tried to reach closer to the party general secretary.
Lokesh covered more than half of the State in 188 days before reaching Vijayawada. After setting out from the residence of TDP chief at Undavalli in the Amaravati capital region on Saturday evening, he crossed the 2500-km milestone.
“Prior to the beginning of the padayatra, there were apprehensions about the fate of the TDP after Naidu. However, Lokesh has created confidence among us that the party will be in safe hands for the next few decades through this padayatra, a TDP leader said.
“Lokesh was noting down the issues that were brought to him during public interaction. He assured the party workers that the victims of the YSRC government would get justice,” the leader stated. When contacted by TNIE, former minister and TDP senior leader Prathipati Pulla Rao, who covered the padayatra in the entire combined Guntur district, felt that the walkathon was a morale booster for the party workers ahead of the elections.