Narsapuram, West Godavari:
Jagan Mohan Reddy has spent the first half of the day sitting on a dharna at Mogalthur substation in Narsapuram town of West Godavari district against the recent power tariff hike in Andhra Pradesh.
After a quick lunch, it is time to be on the campaign trail. He is touring extensively in the hometown of megastar Chiranjeevi, where ironically enough Jagan looks the bigger star.
Jagan looks as unfazed by the 38 degrees heat as the CBI chargesheet filed against him. He is daring both as he goes on his roadshow and street corner meetings to ask people to vote for his party candidate. Before the end of May, by- elections are likely to happen in 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat from Nellore.
The Election Commission has yet to announce the date of voting. But Jagan Mohan is on a strict schedule. There are reports that he will be arrested soon in connection with a corruption case that is being investigated by the CBI. The young politician blames his former party, the Congress, for manufacturing the allegations of graft. The chargesheet against Jagan and 12 others also refers to his father, YSR Reddy, who died during his second term as chief minister in 2009 in a helicopter crash. YSR was one of the Congress party's most popular leaders. And Jagan is touring an area that had shown exceptional loyalty to him. The CBI's formal indictment of YSR which says he would have been tried for corruption had he been alive gives Jagan the headline of his campaign. "Your vote this time should shake not just the government here but also their remote-control in Delhi," he says at a public gathering where the crowd runs into hundreds.
The CBI says that Jagan was able to build his colossal empire -his assets were worth 365 crore rupees last year- because his father used his position as chief minister to pressure companies to invest in Jagan's firms.
After his father's death, Jagan fell out with the Congress because he was not named the new chief minister. He has since formed his own party, the YSR Congress. For the last two years, he has conducted his odarpu yatra, a tour that has allowed him to visit thousands of homes who said they were in mourning for his father. The roadshow has led to a mass connect that most politicians can only dream of.
Here, at least, the corruption case against Jagan doesn't seem to be a matter of concern. "Who is not corrupt? Everyone is. We at least want a stable government and a strong leader," says Ramakrishna, a software engineer who came back from the US to become a contractor here.
Last month, the Congress lost all seven assembly seats in a by-election. A poor performance in this next election could underscore that the party - riddled with infighting and divisions over whether to support a new state of Telangana - has little chance of long-term survival.
After a quick lunch, it is time to be on the campaign trail. He is touring extensively in the hometown of megastar Chiranjeevi, where ironically enough Jagan looks the bigger star.
Jagan looks as unfazed by the 38 degrees heat as the CBI chargesheet filed against him. He is daring both as he goes on his roadshow and street corner meetings to ask people to vote for his party candidate. Before the end of May, by- elections are likely to happen in 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat from Nellore.
The Election Commission has yet to announce the date of voting. But Jagan Mohan is on a strict schedule. There are reports that he will be arrested soon in connection with a corruption case that is being investigated by the CBI. The young politician blames his former party, the Congress, for manufacturing the allegations of graft. The chargesheet against Jagan and 12 others also refers to his father, YSR Reddy, who died during his second term as chief minister in 2009 in a helicopter crash. YSR was one of the Congress party's most popular leaders. And Jagan is touring an area that had shown exceptional loyalty to him. The CBI's formal indictment of YSR which says he would have been tried for corruption had he been alive gives Jagan the headline of his campaign. "Your vote this time should shake not just the government here but also their remote-control in Delhi," he says at a public gathering where the crowd runs into hundreds.
The CBI says that Jagan was able to build his colossal empire -his assets were worth 365 crore rupees last year- because his father used his position as chief minister to pressure companies to invest in Jagan's firms.
After his father's death, Jagan fell out with the Congress because he was not named the new chief minister. He has since formed his own party, the YSR Congress. For the last two years, he has conducted his odarpu yatra, a tour that has allowed him to visit thousands of homes who said they were in mourning for his father. The roadshow has led to a mass connect that most politicians can only dream of.
Here, at least, the corruption case against Jagan doesn't seem to be a matter of concern. "Who is not corrupt? Everyone is. We at least want a stable government and a strong leader," says Ramakrishna, a software engineer who came back from the US to become a contractor here.
Last month, the Congress lost all seven assembly seats in a by-election. A poor performance in this next election could underscore that the party - riddled with infighting and divisions over whether to support a new state of Telangana - has little chance of long-term survival.
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