One might have heard Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu saying umpteen times that TDP winning the assembly elections in the state in 2019 is a historic necessity.
May be he was trying to give an impression that the state would witness tremendous progress and the ongoing works of Polavaram and Amaravati would be completed only if the TDP comes back to power for a second term.
One doesn’t know whether it is a historic necessity for the people of the state to bring Naidu to power again, but it is definitely a very big necessity for him to retain the power. So more than for the people, it is a must for Naidu to become the chief minister again.
According to political analysts, Naidu is apprehensive that his party would be reduced to insignificant entity if YSR Congress party comes to power.
For, Jagan has learnt a lesson or two from Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the art of decimating the entire opposition.
Even if the TDP wins 50-60 seats, Jagan will not allow Naidu to keep the flock together. He will definitely use all the tactics to split the TDP and lure as many TDP MLAs as possible into the YSRC. He will make all out efforts to weaken Naidu morally and psychologically.
If necessary, Jagan will take the help of KCR in striking at the financial roots of the TDP MLAs having financial interests in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana, so that they would be forced to join the YSRC.
“This is the same tactics which KCR had used in case of the Congress and the TDP in Telangana,” an analyst said.
Sources said such an attempt has already started and the potential TDP leaders, who are most likely to win, are being lured with money and positions, irrespective of whether YSRC will get enough numbers or not.
“The idea is to isolate Naidu within his own party. Simultaneously, there would be a flurry of cases against him and his party leaders so that he cannot recover from a series of shocks. He will be forced to spend all his energies in fighting the cases, rather than rebuilding the party by 2024. By next elections, Naidu would be nearing 75 years and it will not easy for him to take on Jagan who would be just 50,” analyst said.
