Naidu on damage control after TDP's poor show in gram panchayat polls in Kuppam - Hindustan Times
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Naidu on damage control after TDP's poor show in gram panchayat polls in Kuppam

By, Hyderabad
Feb 27, 2021 06:52 PM IST

Kuppam gram panchayat is represented by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Telugu Desam Party's poor performance in Kuppam Assembly constituency of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, in the recently-concluded gram panchayat elections, has shaken the ground of party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who represents the constituency.

File photo: Telugu Desam party president N Chandrababu Naidu.(Raj K Raj/HT photo)
File photo: Telugu Desam party president N Chandrababu Naidu.(Raj K Raj/HT photo)

Though gram panchayat elections are held on a non-party basis, the candidates contesting for sarpanch posts and ward members openly flaunt their party affiliations at the ground level. Both the YSR Congress party and the main opposition TDP took the gram panchayat elections prestigiously as they provide a hold over the electorate at the grassroots level.

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However, the YSRC had its advantage of being the ruling party with complete control over the official machinery. It has claimed to have won a little over 80 per cent of the 13,000-odd gram panchayats in the state including 16 per cent of them unanimously.

The TDP, however, debunked this claim and said it won nearly 35-40 per cent of gram panchayats.

What shocked the TDP was the poor show by the party in Kuppam which is considered as Naidu's bastion who has been representing it for the last seven terms. The TDP could win only 14 out of 89 gram panchayats falling under this constituency, while the YSRC grabbed 74 gram panchayats.

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“The outcome of gram panchayat elections in Kuppam is a reflection of the people’s faith in the welfare schemes being implemented by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. It is a victory of Jagan’s policies, rather than Naidu's defeat,” YSRC general secretary and advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said.

He pointed out that in the Pulivendula Assembly constituency of Kadapa district, represented by Jagan, the YSRC won all the 108 gram panchayats which showed the people’s support to the present government.

The TDP's defeat in Kuppam completely demoralised the party cadre in the constituency, who blamed it on the top leaders in Chittoor who failed to take the elections seriously.

“The ruling YSRC has been focussing on Kuppam for quite some with the sole intention of breaking Naidu’s bastion. It has pumped in huge money and mobilised all its senior leaders led by panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy in the constituency. By gaining control over the gram panchayats, the ruling party will go all out to defeat Naidu in the next Assembly elections to finish his political career,” said a senior TDP leader from Chittoor, who refused to be named.

Realising the threat posed to his position, Naidu quickly plunged into action as part of damage control exercise. In the last three days, the TDP chief made a whirlwind tour of Kuppam constituency, interacted with party leaders and addressed a few rallies to rejuvenate the party cadre.

Putting up a confident and aggressive stance, Naidu said the YSRC had tried to bulldoze the panchayat elections by misusing its power. He called upon the people of Kuppam to fight back the threats and attacks by the YSRC leaders and continue their fearless struggle to save democracy.

“I assure you that in the next elections, the TDP’s victory march will begin from Kuppam itself, defeating the YSRC leaders' ulterior plans,” he said, addressing a rally at Kuppam on Friday.

He alleged that the YSRC leaders and the police had threatened to file false cases against the TDP candidates in the panchayat polls. They threatened to put liquor bottles and ganja in their homes to book false cases. “We shall continue the fight even we have to go to jail for a day or two,” he said.

The YSRC, however, rebutted Naidu’s allegations. State panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy challenged the TDP president to contest the next assembly elections from Punganur (represented by the minister), to prove that he had people’s support.

“Naidu has lost the confidence of the people. He can never win any elections again,” the minister said.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.

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