Naidu to address Praja Garjana in Kadapa today

KADAPA: A day after inking poll pact with BJP, the TDP is all set to organise its first public meeting in Kadapa town on Monday. The BJP leadership said it gave a call to its cadre to participate in the meeting as it has struck an alliance with the yellow party.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will be addressing the party's Praja Garjana meeting in Kadapa town on Monday. The meeting is seen as a show of strength of the party after the joining of Congress heavyweights like DL Ravindra Reddy and others into the party, the TDP is all set to hold a massive public meeting in Kadapa, the stronghold of YSRC and its chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Ahead of the general elections, the TDP wants to make a show of its strength in the district and to give a moral boost to cadre. Kadapa has been a difficult terrain for the TDP since the past couple of elections and the party could only win the Proddutur seat out of the 10 Assembly seats in the district.

At Monday's meeting, senior Congress leaders of the district Ravindra Reddy, K Rajamohan Reddy, G Veerasiva Reddy, K Sivanand Reddy, N Varadarajula Reddy, R Ramesh Kumar Reddy, his brother Srinivasulu Reddy, Meda Mallikarjuna Reddy, who all have switched loyalties to TDP, will be sharing the dais with Naidu.

'We are trying to mobilise more than two lakh people for the meeting which will not only boost the party cadre's morale but also demoralise our opponent, the YSRC, the popularity of which is already on the wane in other districts,'' a TD leader said but was quick to add that YSRC still had a considerable hold in the district.

Naidu, on the other hand, is likely to focus on the development of Seemandhra post-bifurcation and how his party, with the cooperation of NDA at the Centre, if voted to power, would develop the residuary state.

He is also likely to tell the people the need for joining hands with the BJP and how it would benefit Seemandhra. Party sources said the TDP is also likely to announce the names of a couple of party nominees for elections.

As the BJP is likely to get one or two seats in the district, most probably Rajampet or Railway Kodur, the TDP is unlikely to announce nominees for all the seats.

Some of those who have come from Congress are likely to get ticket. Though a majority of bigwigs will get the party ticket, it is said that the Kandula brothers _ Rajamohan Reddy and Sivanand Reddy _ might not be favoured.

The BJP will be playing its part to make the Garjana a success. 'We have asked our activists to participate in the meeting but the party leaders are unlikely to attend as our party's meeting is scheduled for Monday at Vijayawada,' said BJP district president V Sashibhushan Reddy.

Naidu will land at the Renigunta airport on Monday morning and will proceed to Kadapa immediately. The party is planning a massive procession through ITI Circle, Sandhya Theatre Circle, Koti Reddy Circle,

Seven Roads Junction and other arterial roads of the town. The procession will finally reach the Municipal Grounds for the garjana.