The response of the people to the programs organized by the YSRCP and TDP presidents in Proddutur within a period of three days is evident. From its inception until the 1999 elections, TDP was in power in the combined district. After YS became the CM in 2004, the Congress became active.
YSRCP won 9 seats in 2014 and all the seats in the combined district in 2019 after YSRCP was established. After Jagan became the CM, there has been a noticeable change in the people of the district. Ramagopal Reddy, who contested as a TDP candidate from Pulivendula, won the MLC election for graduates, which came as a big shock for YSRCP.
CM Jagan has prepared for a 21-day election campaign across the state under the name of ‘Memanta Siddam.’ On the 27th, a bus yatra was started at Idupulapaya to pay tribute to father YS. A large number of people were brought to Idupulapaya not only from the joint district but also from the neighboring districts.
However, the people of Idupulapaya disappeared when they reached Vempalle Bypass. In Proddutur, a huge crowd was mobilized from the adjoining districts of Nandyala and Anantapur, along with the joint district of the assembly. This happened in the evening of the meeting, and outside the village, an area where cold winds blow.
As it was Jagan’s first meeting, it was expected that this meeting should be a success in an unprecedented manner. RTC buses were sent to every town. It was spread that people who came to the meeting were given Rs. 600, liquor, and biriyani. By the time he reached the Jagana Sabha, some of the people had left. After the speech started, almost all the people left. Still, the police did not stop.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu organized a roadshow in the name of Prajagalam at Proddatur on Saturday. He arrived two hours late at 12:03, where the roadshow would take place. Chandrababu’s speech started at exactly 12:15 in the afternoon and lasted about an hour and 20 minutes. According to the Meteorological Department, there was not only sunshine but also hail in Proddutur.
Despite the wait, people listened to Chandrababu’s speech with ease. About 70 percent of those who came to the meeting were present till the end. In YSRCP’s first election meeting, Jagan did not raise the steel factory issue. The fact that Chandrababu garnered huge support from the people in the midday sun on his own land has raised concerns in the YSRCP, but it has brought momentum to the TDP.
