Kakinada:Minister and Telugu Desam working president Nara Lokesh’s strategic direction has put the ministers of respective municipalities on their toes on the campaign front as the TD -led alliance is keen on securing the maximum in the urban local body polls.

The municipal elections have turned into a major prestige issue for the ruling Telugu Desam-led alliance, with ministers and MLAs stepping up their campaigning to get the victory for alliance candidates.

They have adopted an aggressive grassroots campaign strategy, with ministers personally taking charge of major municipalities. Unlike previous elections, when ministers largely confined themselves to monitoring the campaign activities and coordinating with party leaders, the present political contest sees ministers taking the battle directly to new heights.

From intensive door-to-door campaigns to late-night interactions with voters, they are leaving no stone unturned to secure victories for alliance candidates and their respective chairperson nominees.

Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh has taken the responsibility of the Nidadavolu municipality, which is his constituency too, while Vasamsetti Subhash has been spearheading the campaign in his Ramachandrapuram constituency and Amalapuram municipality.

Subhash, along with Rajya Sabha member Sana Satish, started their campaign early at 6am and interacted with the people, garnering their support to alliance candidates. Kandula Durgesh made door-to-door campaigns for the victory of the chairperson candidate Murrala Jyothi and other municipal ward candidates.

Kandula Durgesh promised the voters to upgrade the government hospital to a 100-bed hospital from the present 30, completion of railway over bridge by March-2027, bringing Godavari waters to citizens of Nidadavole for drinking water purposes and improving the

drainage.

Jana Sena fielded Murrala Jyothi as municipal chairman candidate whereas the YSRC fielded Y Vijaya Lakshmi --a retired bank manager -- who is giving a stiff fight to JS. Lakshmi criticised the alliance saying that, during the YSRC term, the hospital was upgraded to 30 bed and prepared it for upgradation as a 100-bed health care facility. But, she alleged, the present alliance government kept the proposal in abeyance.

Meanwhile, senior Telugu Desam leader and former MLA B Sesha Rao made intensive campaigns for the victory of alliance candidates.

At Ramachandrapuram, minister Subhash said that for the past two and half years, development works worth `80 crore have been sanctioned and more projects were in the pipeline. But, YSRC MLC Thota Trimurthulu challenged the alliance leaders to go for elections without distributing money.

On Friday, alliance cadres under the leadership of Rajya Sabha member Sana Satish and Amalapuram Lok Sabha member Harish Mathur took out a bike rally. Satish urged the voters to ensure victory for alliance candidate Medisetti Sesha Rao and the candidates in 32 wards.

At Amalapuram municipality, Sana Satish said that the alliance candidate Nalla Sridhar’s victory was confirmed and they were striving hard to ensure him a huge majority.

Tags: