TDP chief to focus on Kuppam civic body polls

Tirupati: Telugu Desam party president N Chandrababu Naidu will be visiting his constituency Kuppam for three days from October 12. The visit assumes significance in the backdrop of recent local bodies poll debacle. He will meet the cadre in all four mandals of the segment and may lay special focus on the forthcoming elections to Kuppam municipality.

Naidu last visited his constituency Kuppam in February this year after the party's debacle in Panchayat polls in which it won only 14 out of 89. This had generated much heat in the party and the cadre pointed their fingers towards the local leaders. During the visit of Naidu, he tried to pacify the cadres assuring them that he will lay more focus on the constituency and address all their grievances.

But, in the recent MPTC and ZPTC elections, the party faced another humiliation from the YSRCP though Kuppam was the stronghold of TDP. It lost all four ZPTC seats to the ruling YSRCP and managed to win only three MPTCs out of 69 seats. Subsequently, the Minister for Panchayat Raj Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy even dared Naidu to contest again in 2024 from that seat only to taste defeat.

The forthcoming Municipal elections will become a litmus test for the party cadres to show their show of strength and to send positive signals to the electorate ahead of the next Assembly elections. In this backdrop, the cadre is looking for the party president's hectic tour to Kuppam constituency. Speaking to The Hans India party local leader and former MLC Gounivari Srinivasulu tried to emphasise the visit as a routine one. "As a local legislator, he will be touring his own constituency after a gap of seven months. Naturally he will talk to the party cadres and listen to them. As the Municipal elections are slated soon, he may focus on that aspect as well", he maintained. As the party committees were constituted recently, the party chief will address them during the visit.

Naidu will reach Kuppam from Hyderabad via Bengaluru by 1.30 pm on October 12. He will address a public meeting at Kuppam at 3 pm on that day and a meeting with party leaders in the evening.

On the next day he will visit Santhipuram and Ramakuppam mandals and participate in roadshows besides meeting party leaders. On October 14, Naidu will visit Gudupalli mandal and participate in a roadshow before leaving for Hyderabad via Bengaluru. The party has conducted preparatory meetings at all mandals on Sunday to chalk out the arrangements.