The “Memantha Siddham” bus yatra of YSR Congress party president and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, which traversed the length and breadth of the state over the last month, concluded in Srikakulam district on Wednesday.
After observing the public's response to Jagan’s roadshows and rallies, political analysts who were previously skeptical about Jagan’s chances of returning to power are now singing a different tune—suggesting that the possibility of his reelection cannot be dismissed.
Interestingly, even leaders from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who had earlier expressed confidence in decisively defeating Jagan in the upcoming elections, are now acknowledging that winning power will not be as straightforward as anticipated, and that the contest will be tougher than expected.
In fact, the sitting MP from Narasaraopet Lok Sabha constituency, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, who switched from the YSRCP to the TDP and is contesting under the TDP banner this time, has also recognized that the TDP faces a challenging path in the upcoming elections.
In an interview with a national daily, Devarayalu stated that the TDP must work extremely hard for a fighting chance in this election.
“It is not going to be a cakewalk for the TDP. We have to struggle very hard,” he said.
He also conceded that forming an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party as part of the Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party coalition has not been particularly beneficial.
“The BJP joined us, but it has not managed to leverage this alliance to its advantage,” he remarked.
Unsurprisingly, the YSRCP seized on Lavu’s comments, quickly taking to social media to claim that the TDP has already admitted defeat before the electoral battle has even begun.
Teams from the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) promptly circulated excerpts from Lavu’s interview on social media platforms.
The I-PAC has claimed that the TDP has lost confidence in winning the elections, with party candidates seemingly giving up without a fight.
