The forth coming by-election to Tirupati Lok Sabha seat is going to be the first major political battle among the political parties in Andhra Pradesh after 2019 general elections.
In a way, it is going to be a litmus test to the performance of 18-months old the YSR Congress party government in the state.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena Party, too, are eagerly trying to prove their strength in the by-elections, the biggest challenge is for the Telugu Desam Party which is desperate to retain its existence by winning the Tirupati seat at any cost.
If the TDP can win this seat, it will be a big morale booster for party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
He has already announced the candidature of former Union minister Panabaka Lakshmi for the by-polls and formed a six-member coordination committee to oversee the electioneering.
The committee includes Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, N Amarnath Reddy, Bida Ravichandra, Mukku Ugra Narasimha Reddy, G Narasimha Yadav and Panabaka Krishnaiah, who would gear up the cadre and leaders to fight the by-elections to Tirupati LS seat.
Most importantly, political strategist Robbin Sharma, who was engaged by the TDP chief to work out strategies for the party in the 2024 elections, is also personally supervising the party preparation for by-elections in Tirupati.
Robbin Sharma, the co-founder of I-PAC in the past, is now heading an independent political consultancy firm – Showtime Consulting, is working out plans for the victory of the TDP in Tirupati.
Sources said he had been camping in Tirupati for the last three days, interacting with various TDP leaders and giving them directions as to how to go about appeasing voters.
His team members, too, have also plunged into action, taking feedback from voters about the party’s prospects and finding out what they wanted.
Sharma and his team members would be camping in Tirupati till the election process is completed and they would prepare the ground for the TDP to take off in the campaign.
