As the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh completes one year in office, TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday launched a new public outreach campaign titled “Tholi Adugu” (First Step) to highlight the government’s achievements.
Naidu kicked off the campaign from Kuppam, his home constituency, while TDP leaders, including ministers and MLAs, began similar programmes in their respective constituencies starting Wednesday.
So far, so good — but political analysts are questioning why the TDP’s coalition partners, Jana Sena and the BJP, have chosen to stay away from the initiative.
Although "Tholi Adugu" is officially positioned as a celebration of the coalition government’s accomplishments, the campaign is currently being run solely by the TDP.
Just two days ago, Chandrababu Naidu reportedly convened a special meeting with senior TDP leaders, urging them to treat the campaign as a prestigious political event.
The programme aims to enable direct engagement with the public and communicate the government's performance over the past year.
Despite this being a coalition initiative, neither Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan nor any BJP leaders were present at the launch or involved in the planning meetings. Their absence has raised eyebrows and sparked speculation in political circles.
Political observers noted that the preparatory meeting for “Tholi Adugu” was held exclusively with the TDP’s 164 MLAs, excluding leaders from the other two alliance partners.
This solo push by the TDP has led to speculation about possible friction within the alliance. It has also raised concerns that a fragmented public outreach could send mixed signals to voters, undermining the image of coalition unity.
Analysts say that had all three parties participated jointly in “Tholi Adugu,” it would have projected a strong, united front and reassured voters.
Instead, the TDP going it alone has fueled perceptions of internal differences or strategic disconnects within the alliance.
