The time-tested formula of taking out padayatra before the elections to earn public goodwill has worked for several party presidents in the last two decades and fetched them victory in the elections.
Right from Y S Rajasekhar Reddy to Chandrababu Naidu to Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to Nara Lokesh, the formula worked for them in the elections.
In Telangana, too, the “Bharat Jodo” padayatra taken out by Rahul Gandhi, at least, for a few days, fetched victory to the Congress in the 2023 elections.
Now, Bharat Rashtra Samiti working president K T Rama Rao, too, announced that he would take out padayatra across length and breadth of Telangana to bring the BRS back to power in 2028.
However, YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is learnt to have decided against repeating his padayatra strategy, which fetched him victory in 2019, this time.
According to sources, Jagan is contemplating embarking on a year-long bus yatra, instead of padayatra as part of efforts to revive his party and prepare for future elections.
After suffering a crushing defeat in the assembly elections held about a year and a half ago, Jagan is now gradually attempting to put the setback behind him and reposition himself for a political comeback.
He has already begun the public outreach programmes, such as conducting statewide protests over the construction of government medical colleges and launching a signature campaign opposing the alleged handover of medical colleges to private institutions.
However, so far, his political activity over the past 18 months has not been continuous. His occasional visits from Bengaluru to Vijayawada, marked mainly by long press conferences attacking the government, have reportedly failed to generate positive momentum for the party.
Instead, party leaders privately admit that these press meets have often created fresh controversies rather than boosting the party’s image.
The party leaders and cadres are said to believe that the party would benefit more if Jagan remained among the people rather than limiting himself to press briefings.
While Jagan has indicated to party ranks that he plans to undertake a padayatra in the future, leaders feel it would take considerable time to prepare for such an exercise.
In the interim, they have reportedly suggested a bus yatra to enable the former chief minister to directly connect with people across the state. Sources indicate that the proposed bus tour could last up to a year.
Although it was initially planned to be launched in January, the programme was postponed for undisclosed reasons. It is now expected to commence in February or March.
YSRCP leaders remain confident that if their leader takes to the roads, public response would be overwhelming and could unsettle political opponents.
The party maintains that there is growing anti-incumbency sentiment against the current government and believes that, irrespective of when elections are held, the YSRCP will return to power.
