It appears Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is taking every election – big or small – every seriously, since he is afraid that a defeat in any election would spell doom for his party in the 2019 elections.
Look at the way Naidu has taken the ongoing municipal corporation elections in Kakinada.
Normally, a chief minister is not expected to attach much importance to any local body elections, because they are generally fought on local issues, rather than on the performance of the parties at the state level.
In a municipal election, the election plank will be the performance of the local corporator or councillor, rather than the performance of the party in power at the state level.
But, the TDP president has taken the Kakinada Municipal Corporation election very seriously.
He has roped in as many as 11 cabinet ministers, a couple of MPs and a large number of MLAs from East and West Godavari districts into the campaigning for the TDP candidates. They have divided the wards among themselves and are extensively campaigning in their respective areas.
And Naidu himself took a plunge into the canvassing on Saturday and he would be conducting road shows for the next two days.
Imagine how serious the campaign is going to be, if the chief minister himself enters the scene even for municipal elections.
Of course, YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, too, would have joined the campaign for his party candidates, but he dropped out at the last minute due to high temperature.
Needless to say, heavy money is flowing in the municipal elections. And Naidu wants to win the Mayor seat by hook or crook!
