HYDERABAD: Clearly believing the way to the heart of the electorate is through the stomach, the TRS, which is doing everything in its power to win the Munugode Assembly seat in the upcoming byelection, on Tuesday initiated a week-long ‘mass lunch programme’ in the constituency in an effort to strike a chord with the voters.
The TRS leadership sees the byelection as a matter of pride and is in a 'do-or-die’ battle with the BJP and the Congress. The party won Munugode in 2014 but lost to Congress candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy in 2018. Later, Rajgopal Reddy forced a byelection by quitting the Assembly and Congress and joining the BJP in August this year.
During the mass lunch programmes, launched as part of the party's campaign, ministers, MLAs, and party leaders will have lunch with people for a week in each mandal and interact with people to know their grievances. Additionally, they will review welfare programmes and development initiatives being implemented in towns and villages and work to find solutions to the problems brought up by the people.
As part of the first mass lunch programme, thousands of people from every village in Choutuppal mandal were invited for lunch. Energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy,
Munugode former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, MLC T. Ravinder Rao will be overseeing the arrangements for the mass lunch programmes. Additionally, arrangements are being made to hold cultural programmes to entertain the people.
"The whole idea is to hold these programmes in a festive atmosphere. It involves more than just getting together for lunch. It involves listening to their complaints, review the implementation of welfare schemes and development programmes in their respective villages and towns, identifying any shortcomings in the implementation, and figuring out how to close any gaps. Beneficiaries of welfare schemes and development programmes will be asked to share their thoughts and experiences as well as their expectations from the government," said Jagadish Reddy.
TIMELINE
September 21: Chandur mandal
September 22: Narayanpur mandal
September 23: Marriguda mandal
September 25: No lunch programme due to Bathukamma festivities
September 24: Munugode mandal
September 26: Nampally mandal
