A morale defeat to TDP

20 Mar 2017 5:05 PM

It is absurd, if the TDP takes its victory in Kadapa, Kurnool and Nellore local body MLC elections as people’s mandate in its favour. The party won the elections by manipulating the mandate. In fact, the TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu broached his note – for- vote skills to local body level, as observed by the YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in his first reaction on election results. Yes, Chandrababu Naidu once again proved that nobody can beat him in manipulative skills as his entire political carrier is built on manipulative skills. From backstabbing NTR in mid- nineties to recent note- for – vote episode and to the just concluded MLC elections Chandrababu Naidu mastered the art of buy and bully the mandate. So it is not a surprise but a shame to the office he holds, as Jagan Mohan Reddy put it.

And if the victory is really a people’s mandate as claimed by TDP leaders, Chandrababu Naidu should go for mid – term poll or at least accept the YSRCP challenge and ask more than 20 legislators defected from YSRCP to TDP and prove his so called popular support to his rule. In fact Chandrababu Naidu knows it well that the party cadre morale is slagging out fast, hence he put all out efforts to win the MLC election by any means ad spent crores of rupees to buy ZPTC, MPTC members , Councilors and others.

He might have succeeded in engineering cross voting in the limited constituency of voters but it is not possible even for Chandrababu Naidu to manipulate general voters who were totally fed up with his administration corruption and literally waiting for chance to teach him a lesson or two at an appropriate time. In fact, this victory is another blow to Chandrababu Naidu’s slagging popularity as the people see this victory as a morale defeat to TDP.