VIJAYAWADA : Election fever touched new heights in Vijayawada on Wednesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan participated in a roadshow.
MG Road, a prime spot in the city, was witness to supporters of three strong personalities coming together. While the roadshow was scheduled to begin at 7 pm, scores of people began trickling in at 4.30 pm in a bid to secure the best spot to catch a glimpse of the trio. Fortunately, weather did not play spoilsport as the rains on Tuesday ensured there was a dip in the mercury level in ‘Blazewada’, the sobriquet by which the city is known.
People from all walks of life thronged the venue with flags of varied hues, representing the BJP, TDP and JSP.
Every time a car stopped by the PVP Mall, the starting point for the roadshow, the area reverberated with slogans cheering all the three leaders, but particularly Pawan Kalyan. “Powerstar will definitely win this time. There is no doubt about that,” an excited group of girls told TNIE.
The first to arrive at the scene were Naidu and Pawan. On the dot at 7 pm, the Prime Minister’s cavalcade reached the venue, immediately evoking loud applause from the crowd. ‘Modi, Modi, Modi,’ the people chanted. For someone who had participated in two public meetings in Telangana and one in Rajampeta, Anamayya district, Modi was rather energetic and charismatic as always.
Without wasting any time, the trio hopped onto the campaign vehicle. Flanked by Naidu on the right and Pawan on the left, Modi, quite literally, became the centre of attraction. As the campaign vehicle moved, supporters followed it until the roadshow culminated at Benz Circle.
Many believe that the mere visit of the Prime Minister to the State could sway the poll outcome in NDA’s favour. Mondi Veera Babu from Mangalagiri echoed this belief.
Exuding confidence that Modi will secure a hat-trick win, N Srinivasa Rao from Maruthi Nagar noted, “The political scenario in the State has changed in the past few weeks. Earlier, I was of the belief that there were 50-50 chances of either the YSRC or NDA winning. However, now with Naidu flagging the launch of the Land Titling Act by the YSRC, the tables seem to have turned.” Voicing his ire against the YSRC government, N Ramu from Mandadam, Amaravati, said, “Jagan is going to be defeated. PM Modi will surely have a significant impact in this election. However, we are expecting him to clarify his stand on the capital city Amaravati. The current YSRC government has cheated us with the idea of three capitals.”
Another group of elderly women, extending support to Naidu, lambasted YSRC president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. “He is levying garbage tax. Even money given to women under certain schemes is disbursed on the basis of electricity bills. In this heat, how can we survive without ACs? He does not want us to grow,” they lashed out.
Amid supporters, who exactly knew who they wanted to see in power, there were a few women who opined that they would be happy if either Naidu or Jagan win. “One is like our father, the other our brother,” they said.