There is no denying the fact that the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh are going to be do-or-die polls for the main opposition, the Telugu Desam Party. Particularly Nara Lokesh, the national general secretary, who is tipped to take over the reins of the party from his father and president Chandra Babu Naidu in the coming years, will face a huge litmus test as he is contesting from Mangalagiri constituency, where he faced an embarrassing defeat in 2019.
Nara Lokesh is very determined to turn his electoral fortunes around this time. Despite losing by a significant margin in 2019, Lokesh didn’t give up on his role within the party and emerged as a strong leader in all aspects. Moreover, he did not ignore the Mangalagiri constituency in the last five years, as he frequently made visits and connected with the masses there very effectively. Ground reports suggest that Lokesh is likely to romp home with a thumping majority in Mangalagiri.
Lokesh has been canvassing quite rigorously in Mangalagiri for the past few weeks. As Chandra Babu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan have been touring the entire state besides campaigning in their own constituencies, it is quite surprising that Lokesh didn’t step out of Mangalagiri till now, ever since the election schedule was announced. This led to rumors by the YSRCP leaders that Lokesh was intentionally confined to Mangalagiri as the chances of his winning are bleak there and also because he has an image to woo voters across the state.
In what could be a big slap to this propaganda, Lokesh took a gusty decision just two weeks before the polling date. In the last lap of electioneering, Lokesh will embark on a whirlwind tour from April 30th to May 8th. Lokesh will canvass in some of the key parliamentary and assembly constituencies across the state where the party is facing a tough challenge from the YSRCP candidates. This is a brave decision from Lokesh to silence his naysayers.
After completing this tour, Lokesh will campaign in Mangalagiri in the last two days and will stay there till the completion of the polls.