His journey — from CEO to a people’s person

With barely three days to go for the second phase of polling on April 23, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and his arch rival N Chandrababu Naidu have stepped on the gas in their campaign for a mandate to rule the state.

But crisscrossing the rice-bowl districts of Krishna and Guntur on Saturday, the two present a contrast in campaigning styles even as they use similar vitriolic language to run down the other wherever they go, sometimes missing each other just by a few hours.

It is a flashback to 2004 but with the roles reversed. The chief minister helihops to address well-organised public meetings. But Naidu’s mode is the now popular road show that wears the look of impromptu, unorganised jamborees where curious onlookers can peep into the TDP chief’s bullet proof Tata Safari and even shake hands with him, despite the Z-category black-cat ring around him.

Beginning from Vijayawada for Repalle, about 70km away, Naidu was scheduled to stop at some eight other places along the way working backwards to Chirala where he was to wind up the day. But he is delayed three hours at the start itself trying to meet up all the candidates and media.

Spanning three parliamentary constituencies and some 19 assembly segments, the campaign areas are considered crucial given that Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), with a strong base in the South Coast, is expected to cut into both TDP and Congress vote.

Not surprisingly, at every place he stopped Naidu did not fail to refer to the party’s star campaigners, actors Junior NTR and Balakrishna, both relatives, to score some additional points apart from the usual tirade against YS Rajasekhara Reddy and the Congress.  

Getting down from the Safari and onto the campaign bus at Vemuru, Naidu delivered a half-an-hour speech. “The Congress’ bad eye has fallen on Junior NTR,” he lamented alluding to the injuries suffered by the actor while returning from an election meeting on March 26. He campaigned for the party very well and you should vote for him and the TDP’s programmes, he told the cheering crowds.

After the short speech, it was time for a round of the village waving to cheering supporters and families from roof tops and doorways and even at times stopping to pose with a baby or shake a few hands. The people loved it, given that just a couple of hours earlier the chief minister had zipped through the small dusty town after delivering a short 15 minute speech in support of the local MP candidate union health minister Panabaka Lakshmi and local MLA aspirant M Nagarjuna.

“I don’t think anybody can match Naidu’s charisma and energy,” said Jimmy, an ardent supporter from the faraway Nizamabad, who, along with 10 other friends has been following the TDP leader since the campaign kick-off. “It is certain he will come back to power,” he insists hanging on for dear life to the speeding Safari which followed Naidu’s bus.

Naidu is in his element at the next stop Tenali, a town known as the Paris of Andhra for its contribution to literature, stage, movies and education with several superstars to its credit.

Mounting the campaign bus again, Naidu launches a tirade against YSR and the ‘suitcase’ culture of the Congress. And of course the TDP’s cash transfer scheme and the free colour TV offer get top billing.

“You will be given an ATM card like this,” he says waving a yellow card. “At the beginning of the month all of you will get Rs2,000 just like office workers get a salary. Your respect will grow, your position will grow.”