Campaign cacophony gets louder in Vizag

The cacophony of poll campaigns in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh gets louder as D-Day for the election is fast approaching. Parties are stepping up their efforts to connect with voters through all possible ways. While speakers fixed to three and four-wheelers, blare songs and speeches of parties and leaders to woo voters all day, vehicles with digital screens – making a lot of noise  – hit roads when dusk sets.

Rallies and roadshows marked the filing of nominations, a process which came to an end on Thursday. As many as 5,460 candidates filed papers for 175 Assembly segments in the State of Andhra Pradesh, while 965 candidates filed for 25 Lok Sabha constituencies. The prominent persons who filed papers for Assembly elections include Y S Jaganmohan Reddy (Pulivendula), N Chandrababu Naidu (Kuppam), Pawan Kalyan (Pithapuram) and Lokesh (Mangalagiri). The last date for withdrawal of nominations is 29 April 2024.

As top leaders start descending upon the city for electioneering, the campaigns have moved to top gear, heating up the political atmosphere. Only a few days back, Chief Minister and Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Chief, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, participated in a roadshow in the city, rejuvenating the party cadre. His roadshow boosted the morale of the party workers, who were unhappy with the party’s performance in the city in the 2019 election.

The cadre of other parties, like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) await a similar show of strength by their party chiefs.

Though low-key, a campaign by V V Lakshminarayana, former joint director of CBI, in the Visakhapatnam North constituency is catching the public eye. Lakshminarayana, who floated the Jai Bharat National Party (JBNP) recently, prefers a door-to-door campaign, where he can meet people personally, and make the party symbol – the ‘torch’ – famous among the people.

Lakshminarayana, who filed his nomination on Thursday, said his party candidates were in the race in 100 Assembly segments in Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to campaign in the State, including Anakapalle, in the first week of May, while Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy is geared up for the third round of voter-connect drive.

With only 15 days left for the curtains to go down on electioneering, people are likely to witness a high-voltage show of parties in the coming days. With the election campaigns from various parties intensifying all over Andhra Pradesh, the competition is at an all-time high.

Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag website and Instagram for more city news updates.

This article is written by Senior Journalist Lakkoju Nagesh Babu.