Chiranjeevi Tour in the delta region jitters Congress & TDP

The mega success of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Ankita Yatra in the delta region of Guntur district is sending jitters in not only the ruling Congress camp but among the opposition TDP circles as the latter is banking heavily on the region to maximise its strength in the coming elections. So far, the TDP leaders have thought that the PRP would, at best, win over Kapu voters which would help them win the elections in triangular contests as a majority of the Kapus are known supporters of the Congress. But, to their dismay, Chiranjeevi’s meetings in Tenali and Repalle in the last two days have attracted large crowds from all sections. Chiranjeevi was forced to address at least half a dozen meetings in Tenali town alone as a large number of people did not allow his convoy to move on. “I cannot say people are coming to see him only as a film star. People appeared eager and wanted something fresh. Chiranjeevi’s tours will surely cause a major impact on the chances of all the parties,” admitted a senior TDP leader from Tenali. Analysing the situation, the senior leader on the condition of anonymity said the state is witnessing a very strange political scenario this time round. “Forget about the state, we ourselves are not comfortable in our bastions particularly after Chiranjeevi’s tour,” he explained. The TDP had organised Yuvagarjana meeting about two months ago in the district to set the tone for the elections, especially in Kamma strongholds of the region. The roaring success of that meeting where Balakrishna made his first political speech had buoyed the TDP leaders. Even party chief Chandrababu Naidu started making tall claims about party position in Krishna and Guntur districts. But analysts surmised that the TDP’s calculations were based on the erosion of Kapu votes in the Congress even as they conveniently ignored the likely impact of PRP on other communities. The stupendous success of Chiru’s visit has indeed put the TDP leaders in a piquant situation, an analyst said. “We will have a relook at our strengths and weaknesses and prepare a realistic assessment on the latest situation. It doesn’t mean that we are worrying too much,” said TDP district chief Prattipati Pullarao. He said they would bounce back in the delta region where it had lost six out of the seven constituencies in the last elections.