Has Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay’s ambitious Praja Sangrama Yatra failed? At least on the first day, say those who watched the inauguration of the yatra from the historic Jogulamba temple in Gadwal Jogulamba district. The yatra will cover 386 km in 36 days. As part of the yatra,five districts and 10 assembly constituencies would be covered.
Political watchers say Bandi’s yatra has filed to create the kind of magic that Revanth Reddy’s yatras have managed to create. The crowd enthusiasm, according to them, is missing. They feel that Revanth Reddy is definitely more rabble rousing than Sanjay. The attendance on the inaugural day, they argue, is less than expected.
More importantly, none of the senior leaders of the party were present at the inaugural day of the yatra. Barring newly-inducted Eatala Rajender, no other major leader was present. The other two MLAs of the party, Raghunandan Rao and Raja Singh, have absented themselves. Already, Raghunandan Rao has lodged a complaint with Party’s organising secretary Mantri Srinivasulu accusing Bandi of not giving him his due.
Even Union Minister Kishan Reddy is conspicuous by his absence. Already, there are rumours that both the leaders are at loggerheads. The party, according to sources, is divided between the two leaders. The old-timers are with Kishan Reddy, while the younger party workers are with Bandi Sanjay. However a lot depends on the success of the yatra for Bandi to emerge as a credible leader who can take on KCR.