CM Naidu Focuses On Candidate Selection, Targets 100 Per Cent Strike Rate

Vijayawada:Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has intensified the efforts to finalise candidates for the local body elections, with the Telugu Desam-led alliance completing the seat-sharing among its partners and turning its attention to candidate selection and electoral strategy.

Naidu, minister Nara Lokesh and Telugu Desam state president Palla Srinivasa Rao are actively involved in finalizing the lists of suitable candidates, taking into account ground-level feedback and public opinion. The alliance is prioritising names of those engaged in public service, having organisational heft and mass acceptance.

The elections are significant for the alliance, as mayors and municipal chairpersons will be elected directly this time. The leadership aims to establish a ‘triple-engine government’ by ensuring coordination between the Centre, state and local bodies to accelerate development.

The three parties –TD, JS and BJP -- are likely to finalise the names of contestants by Saturday. The TD high command started surveys involving IVRS to know the opinion of the party’s rank and files. Further scrutiny is also under progress.

Senior leaders of the National Democratic Alliance held a teleconference with alliance leaders across Andhra Pradesh on Friday, directing them to work for the victory of their candidates.

TD state president Palla Srinivasa Rao, civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar and BJP state president PVN Madhav participated in the meeting. They urged leaders and cadres of all three parties to approach the local body elections as one team, stressing that alliance unity was crucial for the state's progress.

The leaders said the seat-sharing exercise had been completed in a manner that disappointed those who expected differences to emerge among the partners. They called for the same spirit of cooperation to continue through candidate selection, campaigning and the final stage of the elections.

The leaders advised party functionaries to avoid even minor differences, resolve disputes through mutual discussions and work collectively to secure victories. They said unity among the three parties would benefit both the state and its people.

The NDA leaders maintained that the government had demonstrated the benefits of coordinated governance through its development and welfare programmes. They called for a 100 per cent strike rate in the local body elections, which they said would help establish a triple-engine government extending from the Centre to the grassroots.

They also highlighted the support extended to Andhra Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan were steering the state towards development by making effective use of the Centre's assistance.

The leaders described the continuation of the alliance in general elections, nominated posts and local body polls as unusual in political practice. They urged cadres of the TD, Jana Sena and BJP to remain united in the larger interests of the state, its people and democratic institutions.

The NDA leaders alleged that the state had been brought out of what they described as destructive governance under the YSR Congress rule led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. They asked alliance workers to explain the alliance’s position to the public and ensure that the YSRC did not regain political ground in the state.