Last minute campaign efforts by Jaganmohan Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu in Seemandhra

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said that for the first time in the country’s history, an election is being held when the candidate has passed away. “Today, Shobhamma is not with us. We also know that a by-election will be held for Allagadda. I am requesting you to help her win with a big majority. I don’t have an elder sister, but Shobhamma was like my akka. I am appealing to you to vote for her,” he said during a road show in Nandyal in Kurnool district.

The YSRC chief addressed large crowds as part of his YSR Jana Bheri here on Monday, and in Hindupur in Anantapur district. “I appeal to you to vote to safeguard Telugu pride which will take its due place at the Centre and brush away those forces that are willingly scrambling to obey Delhi diktats,” he told the crowds.

The election is a battle between the politics of credibility and honesty on one side and conspiracy and opportunism on the other, he said. The people must reject the forces that have been doling out impossible and hyperbolic promises and vote for the YSRC to usher in a YSR welfare state.

“We will win all the MP seats and show our might to Delhi and bring enough funds from the Centre to develop the state without being submissive, unlike the TD which has surrendered to the BJP for the sake of votes and seats and has again shown its ugly face of opportunism,” Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

He added that Mr Chandrababu Naidu has no magic wand with which he can waive loans as he has promised to do since the entire state budget is less than the amount he has promised to waive. “Naidu is only deceiving people by making false promises. I cannot bluff like Naidu as I have to be in public life for another 30 years. He can afford to tell lies of any intensity as this is the last election for him,” Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy mocked.

The YSRC chief could not address the last public meeting at Tadipathri due to a technical defect in his helicopter at Madakasira in Anantapur district, wh-ere he had to confine his speech to just five minutes.

On the last day of camp-aigning, Mr Naidu held ca-mpaigns at Giddalur of Prakasam district and also at Tenali and Chilakaluripet. He assured voters that he would develop AP on the li-nes of Singapore and trained his guns on Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy stating that the latter had joined politics to rob public resources and had become a “psychopath” for power.

He said that farmers were in dire need of a loan waiver and the TD was going to waive all agriculture loans to help farmers.

Mr Naidu added that he would not rest till he made the agriculture sector a profitable field.

He said that the YSRC chief had proposed to support the NDA government only to avoid going back to jail. Terming the YSRC “a band of thieves”, he added that Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy had given tickets to his family members, criminals and corrupt leaders.

Affirming that Narendra Modi would become PM, the TD chief said, “In order to develop the residuary state of AP, we need more funds and co-operation from the Centre. That is why we have entered into an agreement with the BJP and stressed on the need to make Mr Modi the PM and form the TD government in the state.”

The TD chief also alleged that YSRC leaders were distributing spurious liquor and money to win the election and called upon the youth to draw inspiration from Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, who was campaigning in favour of the BJP-TD combine. He also assured that he would include Kapus in the BCs list and extend benefits to them.

The TD supremo promised to introduce a NTR health card if the party came to power. Alleging that the Congress had devastated the state, he announced that unemployed youth would be given Rs 2,000 as “dole”.

Mentioning nine years of governing experience, Mr Naidu claimed that only he was capable of making Seemandhra a Golden AP.