TDP supremo and former chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, is seemingly planning for increased violence ahead of the general election.
Having served as chief minister for 14 years and as the leader of the opposition for 10 years, Naidu is going all out to disrupt law and order in the state, with the apparent intention of portraying Jagan Mohan Reddy as a failed chief minister.
The TDP chief is also allegedly planning for more violence to convey that Andhra Pradesh is not in safe hands under Jagan Mohan Reddy's leadership and to label him as a factionist.
To achieve this, Chandrababu Naidu is delivering provocative speeches during his tours. He openly challenges sitting MLAs wherever he addresses public meetings.
He employs abusive language against the sitting MLAs to incite them and their supporters, prompting them to retaliate.
He also makes inflammatory statements to his party workers, urging them to carry weapons or at the very least, a stick.
The outbreaks of violence in Angallu village of Annamayya district and in Punganuru of Chittoor district were seemingly just the beginning of Naidu's violent strategy.
In the last week alone, over 80 TDP activists have been arrested in connection with the two incidents.
He is also reportedly instructing senior leaders of his party to prepare their supporters for violent actions. TDP leaders are allegedly encouraging their supporters to consume alcohol before Naidu's meetings, leading to violence while inebriated.
Ultimately, once the damage is done, the leaders manage to escape, leaving the activists to face arrests.
It remains to be seen how far Naidu is willing to go to substantiate his claims that Andhra Pradesh is not in safe hands, and how many TDP activists will be apprehended in the days to come.
