Former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had a strong sentiment for Chevella town in Ranga Reddy district.
Whenever he wanted to launch a new programme, whether it was Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP) or free power supply scheme, he used to do it only in Chevella.
He began his marathon and historic padayatra only from Chevella in 2003 and that brought him to power in 2004.
His election campaign in 2004 and 2009 was also from Chevella. He used to call former home minister Sabita Indra Reddy as Chevella Chellamma.
With Chevella bringing so much luck to the Congress party in the past, the Telangana Congress leaders, too, now want to revive the same sentiment of YSR.
Telangana PCC president Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has announced a bus yatra from February 26 as a run-up to the assembly elections, said the yatra would begin from Chevella.
“We hope the Chevella sentiment will bring luck to us,” he said.
The bus yatra will be held in two phases - from February 26 to March 11 with a three-day break for Holi festival from March 1.
The the second phase will be held from April 1 to May 15 after the Assembly sessions.
This will be followed by rath yatras and pada yatras of party leaders from all over the State culminating in a public meeting on June 1 to be attended by AICC president Rahul Gandhi.
The yatra, which is also to showcase the unity among the Congress leaders, will cover all the 119 constituencies in the State, exposing the failures of the Government and ‘suppression’ of people’s voice.
Senior leaders Bhatti Vikramarka, Revanth Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar will conduct pada yatras from various parts of the State.
