Chiru emerges tough campaigner

Hyderabad: The bus yatra undertaken by Union Minister Chiranjeevi along with APPCC president Raghuveera Reddy and others has produced desired results. The herculean task of reviving the fortunes of the Congress party whose popularity has hit a new low with the bifurcation of the State has been taken up by the Mega Star in right earnest. He could not attract big crowds in Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram due to failure of the local leaders. When the bus reached Kakinada, it was Chiranjeevi’s personal popularity on the display. The crowds swelled.

As one AICC leader who is close to Congress President Sonia Gandhi quipped, it is an opportunity for Chiranjeevi to prove his mettle as a mass leader. The film star-turned-politician has emerged as the star campaigner for his party in the first round. The second round of campaign would start after the nominations are filed. Chiranjeevi hopes to concentrate at least on 40 constituencies where the chances of the party candidates are reasonable.

Inspired by the results of the bus yatra, JD Seelam, another Union Minister, is embarking upon a Dalit Chaitanya Yatra starting from Kurnool on April 4. It will go on till April 13 and will mobilise Dalit youth in Seemandhra under the banner of Indian National Congress. Every day the yatra would be followed by a sadassu (Meeting). This exercise is aimed at attracting Dalits back to the party fold. Dalits in Seemandhra are understood to have migrated to the YSRCP en masse.

The Election Committee of Seemandhra Congress which met here on Tuesday has expressed satisfaction at receiving more than 1150 applications for 175 Assembly seats and some 175 applications for the 25 Lok Sabha seats. It is a far better performance compared to the recent municipal elections when the party had to strain itself to find candidates willing to contest. The screening committee of the party is going to meet in Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday.

The party leaders are toying with the idea of persuading former ministers to contest for Lok Sabha. They are trying to field young men and women who have the stamina to stay put in the party to work and grow into strong candidates for 2019 elections. Since there are no expectations from the Congress leaders in Seemandhra, any positive result would be treated as a great success.

Getting about ten candidate win Assembly seats would really be a miracle. Chiranjeevi and his associates are leaving no stone unturned. The interaction on Tuesday by Chiranjeevi with his fans is part of this endeavor. The Mega Star has offered to give some of the fans tickets to contest in the elections. These may be small and insignificant moves, but it is the only way the leaders can go forward in the given conditions.