Hyderabad: The TRS will hit the road with catchy slogans like “Sir, Car, Padaharu”, based on party president Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao as it embarks on its campaign to win 16 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The TRS has refurbished its pink publicity vans with slogans and pictures of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and party working president K.T. Rama Rao, which will travel across the state.
The vans, equipped with with public address systems, are inscribed with slogans like “Sir, Car, Padaharu”, “Mana Swapnam, Mana Lakshyam Bangaru Telangana (Our dream, our target Golden Telangana)”, “Bharat Desam Chupu Telangana Vypu,” (India is looking towards Telangana).
Besides, the party has got ready the usual publicity material like banners, hoardings, buntings, pink caps to beat sweltering heat.
In these days of high voltage, hi-tech multimedia campaigns and reliance on social media like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, the TRS finds the age-old publicity vans are still an asset. “Publicity vans are best for roadside meetings,” says TRS leader Anand Goud, who contested from the Nampally Assembly seat and lost to the MIM.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, who has announced party nominees for LS polls, is ahead of other parties in electioneering, and party leaders are hitting the road early in the morning.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, Mr Rama Rao and other party leaders are making it a point to repeat the new slogan to woo voters. TRS Nizamabad MP candidate K. Kavitha coined another another slogan “Bhajpa neggoddu, Congress peragoddu” (BJP should not win, Congress shouldn’t grow).
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao will begin his campaign from March 28 and address over 20 public meetings. Mr Rama Rao will tour the twin cities from March 30.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other national leaders will campaign in the state, apart from the heads of the local units of the national parties Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy and Dr K. Laxman.
“KCR rule has seen rapid development. After the elections, the TRS will play a key role in national politics. The PM in Delhi will be decided by TRS,” said former minister T. Harish Rao, the TRS Siddipet MLA.
Mr Harish Rao, who has maintained a low profile after failing to get a Cabinet berth, is campaigning for the TRS Medak candidate Kotha Prabhakar Reddy.
Upbeat over getting the ticket for his son Sai Kiran Yadav, animal husbandry minister T. Srinivas Yadav says the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat will be a gift to Mr Chandrasekhar Rao on behalf of the constituency.
The Congress too has got into battle mode with Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy leading from the front by contesting from Nalgoda. “The Congress will do well. The TRS did nothing with its MPs. We will fulfil all promises once the Congress comes to power at the Centre. The fight is between Modi and Rahul,” he says at public meetings.
