If the exit polls for Tirupati Lok Sabha bypolls are any indication, the TDP is still light years away to reach anywhere near the YSRCP. Most exit polls have predicted that the YSRCP will get between 59 and 65 per cent of votes. The TDP may not get more than 23 per cent votes.
This only means that the difference in terms of percentage points between the TDP and the YSRCP is more than half. The TDP has to cover a lot of ground to reach anywhere closer to the YSRCP. This is the situation in Tirupati, which is part of Chittoor, the home turf of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. If this is the situation in Chittoor, the situation would be worse off elsewhere in the state. If the YSRCP popularity has grown even after two-and-a-half years of the rule, it only shows that TDP is nowhere near challenging the ruling party.
Less said about the BJP the better. The party is set to lose its deposit in the Tirupati bypoll. One thing is clear. Chandrababu Naidu may have to do a serious re-think. There is a need for an overhaul of the party’s organisational structure if it wants to remain in the fight. If the same trend continues, the party could get increasingly weak and ineffectual. Warning bells are ringing. Will Chandrababu care to listen?