More than anybody else in the Telugu Desam Party, it is party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu who is on cloud nine following the party’s victory in Kakinada Municipal Corporation elections.
Soon after the announcement of final results, Naidu celebrated the news by distributing sweets among his party leaders and ministers.
He said the results of Kakinada Municipal Corporation had once again established that the people were extending their support to the government.
Stating that the TDP government has taken the responsibility to transform Visakhapatnam and Kakinada into smart cities, the Chief Minister said that the process is already initiated further stressing on the need for sustainability and stability to run the government.
In the normal circumstances, the victory in a municipal corporation should not evoke so much reaction a person of the chief minister’s stature.
But Naidu took the KMC election seriously and even campaigned for the party during the electioneering.
The reason is: East Godavari district is very important for the TDP, since it has highest number of MLAs. During 2014 elections, the TDP bagged all the MLA seats in the district, leaving none for the YSRC.
If the TDP loses in Kakinada, it would have serious impact in the entire district.
Especially since the Kapu reservation agitation is picking up and YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has been showing special attention on the district, the TDP president feared that any advantage to the YSRC will spell doom for the TDP.
Moreover, the KMC poll result will have a major impact on the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections in Greater Visakhapatnam and thus, it would have a cascading effect on the entire state. Hence, Naidu wanted to conquer Kakinada.
