TDP ready for bypolls for MP seats: Lokesh

Vijayawada: TDP is ready for bye-elections in the State for the five Lok Sabha constituencies, if the Lok Sabha speaker accepts the resignations of YSRCP leaders, says TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh.

In fact, the TDP leaders are focusing on the general elections, but they are also taking into consideration on the inevitable bye-elections in the state before the general elections. While interacting with the journalists at the Mahanadu here on Tuesday, IT Minister Nara Lokesh said that the party is ready to face bye-polls for five MP seats.

He further added that the strength of the party was proved in the recent bye-elections at Nandyala and local bodies elections in Kakinada. Reacting on the Panchayat elections, he observed that they are not expected in near future.

``With the grand success of Mahanadu, the three-day party conclave, they have created awareness among the cadres about the development of the state, who is real enemy to the party in the state and the strategy to be adopted in the coming general elections,’’ the minister said.

Lokesh informed that there was 33 per cent more attendance for this Mahanadu when compared with the previous one in Vizag last year. There was concern among cadre that BJP and YSRCP were indulging in conspiracy politics to damage TDP, he observed.

Further, he said that the Panchayat Raj department aimed at constructing not less than 10,000 km length concrete roads during the ongoing financial year. He explained that, for the last four years, the state government laid more than 16,000 kms roads, whereas the Congress government during the last ten years laid only 1,100 kms of concrete roads.

He said that the state government converged the MGNREGA funds to construct the concrete roads and it is yielding good results. The Panchayat Raj department aimed to provide drinking water to each and every house in the rural areas through water-grid and the programme will be initiated in Krishna and West Godavari districts as pilot project next month.

Providing safe drinking water through pipelines will be completed by 2022, he hoped. For that, the state government has been preparing detailed project reports, he said.

Lokesh explained that they have been preparing specific plans for all the villages in the state and if the project completes then there would be no drinking water problem in the rural areas, he added.