Shruti Suman
The yatra, which covered 97 Assembly seats and spanned approximately 4,000 km.
20th December, 2023 :
In a bid to rejuvenate the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) political standing, Nara Lokesh, a prominent leader of the party, undertook the “Yuva Galam (Voice of the Youth)” padayatra, commencing on January 27. The initiative, aimed at connecting with the people and reinvigorating the party, concluded on Monday, marking a crucial step for the TDP ahead of the looming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Lokesh embarked on this journey against the backdrop of the TDP’s diminishing political footprint, and his efforts have drawn comparisons to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s successful “Praja Sankalpa Yatra.” Political observers suggest that Lokesh is attempting to replicate the electoral success Jagan achieved following his yatra in 2019, where the YSRCP secured a sweeping victory in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state.
The yatra, which covered 97 Assembly seats and spanned approximately 4,000 km, kicked off from Kuppam, the home turf of Lokesh’s father and TDP chief, Chandrababu Naidu. The journey, however, encountered a temporary hiatus of 79 days when Naidu was arrested in September in connection with an alleged corruption case. Despite this setback, Lokesh resumed the padayatra last month after his father secured bail.Andhra Pradesh, facing a surge in crime, corruption, and deteriorating communal harmony.
Nara Lokesh, the youth leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and son of party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, has successfully concluded his “Yuva Galam (Voice of the Youth)” padayatra, covering a distance of 4,000 kilometers over the course of four hundred days.However, on September 9, Nara Lokesh’s father and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was arrested in connection with the alleged corruption case of the Koushal Vikas Corporation. Following his father’s arrest, Lokesh temporarily halted his padayatra to engage in the legal battle for his father. After Naidu was granted bail, Nara Lokesh resumed the 4,000-kilometer journey, reconnecting with the public across the state.
Nara Lokesh stated, “My journey with the people has been highly successful. I have listened to concerns about poverty, unemployment, corruption, and the injustice of the ruling party, and these issues remain my top priorities.”The TDP General Secretary and party chief Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, has successfully completed his Yuva Galam padayatra. Lokesh concluded his journey in the Shivaji Nagar constituency of Visakhapatnam. Over the course of 226 days, he covered 100 assembly seats. Marking the end of the walkathon, Lokesh unveiled a victory arch.The completion of Nara Lokesh’s padayatra has garnered support and enthusiasm from TDP activists and the public. On the final day of the Yuva Galam padayatra, Nara Lokesh was joined by his mother Bhuvaneshwari, other family members, and TDP’s state president Atchannaidu. Following the success of Yuva Galam, a grand event, the Yuva Galam Victory Celebration, will be organized soon.As the political landscape undergoes shifts and transformations, Lokesh’s strategic move to engage with the public and traverse key constituencies signals a commitment to revitalizing the TDP. While the jury is still out on the potential impact of the padayatra, Lokesh’s efforts to connect with the youth and various communities underscore his role as a significant leader within the state.
The coming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will serve as a litmus test for the effectiveness of these endeavors in restoring the TDP’s influence in Andhra Pradesh.
