A 'FOOT'ING FINALE!

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu concluded his 208 days long "Vastunna Meekosam" (I am coming for you) padayatra at Vishakapatnam today. A The yatra culminated at the Andhra University Engineering College grounds. The party made massive arrangements to mobilise a huge crowd and even constructed a 100 ft. pylon to mark the occasion. The city was drenched in a sea of yellow as MLA and MP ticket aspirants covered almost the entire city with banners, flags and cutouts of party's founder president NTR, his son Balakrishna and Chandrababu Naidu. This brings to an end a six month walkathon which Naidu undertook to connect with the people of the state ahead of the crucial 2014 polls. The TDP chief also celebrated his 64

th birthday on the successful completion of the yatra. Naidu started his long journey on October 2^nd last year at Hindupur in the Rayalaseema region. He has covered 2,835 kms spread across 1,253 villages, 5 municipal corporations and 86 assembly constituencies in 208 days. His padyatra has left the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's 1470 km long effort over 64 days in 2003 several steps behind and is the longest by a politician in Andhra Pradesh. Over the course of the yatra, Naidu promised the moon to his potential vote bank. From loan waiver for farmers to free education and promotions in reservations, Naidu did not cringe on the freebies he promised to dole out if voted into power. But this drew a lot of flak from his critics especially from his arch-rival and chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. Reddy, on numerous occasions mocked the TDP chief by saying even the entire central budget will not be enough to fulfill all the promises the TDP chief has made. Naidu, once projected as one of the best chief minister's in India, hopes to revive his successful stint by clinching back the throne. He also has plans to take up a bus yatra in June to cover the remaining areas of the state well ahead of elections next year. Will his efforts churn out votes for the TDP?