Lokesh too plans massive padayatra: Will he beat Jagan’s records?

If Jagan and YS Sharmila can do it, why not Lokesh. TDP general secretary and Chandrababu’s political heir Nara Lokesh will also undertake a massive 450-day long padayatra through the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh. If all goes well, Lokesh will launch his yatra from Sankranthi next year and clearly, this is being done with an eye on elections.

The yatra will begin in January next year from Chittoor and will end in Srikakulam in March 2024. The twin objectives of this yatra are to establish Lokesh as a leader with mass appeal and to set the tone for the 2024 elections. The route map and the nitty gritty of the programmes are being worked out, say the TDP sources. There would be road shows, theme meetings and public meetings all across the route of the yatra.

Clearly, the unstated aim of the yatra is to break all the records that Jagan has created through his massive yatra. Jagan’s yatra spanned 341 days and covered 3648 km spread out in 134 out of the total of 175 assembly constituencies. It has created a massive groundswell of support for the YSRCP and catapulted it to power. This yatra turned out to be a game-changer in post-bifurcation AP politics.

Lokesh, it is being said, wants to beat all the records of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the yatra. He is said to be planning to highlight the failures of YS Jagan government. TDP sources say that the route is being finalized keeping the strengths and weaknesses of the Telugu Desam Party.