Andhra Pradesh and Telangana politics are completely different breed altogether in terms of intensity and closely fought electoral battles. Opposition parties tend to do anything in their power to secure the outcome at any costs.
YS Jagan and KTR are finding themselves in a similar situation now after having lost the earlier elections in their respective states.
Interestingly, both these young leaders have deserted to the same tactic in their pursuit of power as they’ve both publicly announced they would embark on Pada Yatras starting from 2027.
Jagan had already confirmed his Pada Yatra a couple of months ago, and he would be getting on his way from 2027. This is going to be his second such public outreach program after the earlier Sankalpa Yatra in 2018.
In parallel, KTR has also announced that he would be starting on a Pada Yatra in 2027. He said the BRS ecosystem would be on the ground much before the election, and he himself would be leading the way with a state wide Yatra.
This would be the first time that KTR would be attending such an elaborate event and his efficiency will be put to the test here.
Historical speaking, the prospect of Padayatra has prevented to be extremely useful for leaders like YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan himself (2019) among others. And this has now become a last gasp effort from the current opposition leaders who are on a big trek to return to power.
The challenge for Jagan is going to be to win the trust of the AP voting public again in 2027 Yatra after a failed stint in 2019-24. As for KTR, he will have to learn the basics of these elongate Pada Yatras the hard way as he had been an urbane leader over the years and this walkathon will test the fighter in him.
