Panabaka Lakshmi, former union minister and TDP candidate in the by-election for the seat of Tirupati Lok Sabha, played a variety of roles to impress voters during her frantic campaign against the scorching summer heat on Sunday in Sullurpeta, Nellore district.
Ms. Lakshmi participated in the lengthy speeches and interacted with small groups of people under the trees on the side of the road when there was heat waves.
She killed a group of people by turning into a tender coconut seller. The little gathering was surprised when they cut tender coconuts perfectly and distributed them among the people before starting a conversation to understand the local issues.
Promise to the youth
Ms. Lakshmi assured a group of unemployed youth that she would ensure that the local people received 75% of the jobs in the Sri City Industrial Park and Apache Footwear manufacturing unit.
She also rode a piece of bicycle in Tada, on the Tamil Nadu border, to promote the party’s election symbol.
Before doing this, she prepared tea and mirapayaka bajji, the signature snack dish of the Andhra coast, before interacting with voters.
The remainder of the state was only unable to cope with the bifurcation blues because the Modi government in the center failed to grant special category status (SCS) and implement the assurances made in the state restructuring law, she claimed.
It is regrettable that Prime Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who talked a lot before the 2019 elections, failed to take up the state cause with the Center even after the people of the YSRCP gave 22 of the 25 MP seats, she said.
Ms. Lakshmi promised to develop the Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary and Pulicat Lake, which attracts migratory birds, into an international tourist hub when the local population complained that the authorities had not taken effective steps to open up tourism except for the annual Flamingo Festival Potential.
“Annoyed by the overwhelming response to my campaigns, the ruling YSRCP is playing cheap politics by cutting off power to places I advertise,” she claimed.