YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has issued a stern warning to party leaders ahead of the upcoming local body elections in Andhra Pradesh.
He said MLAs in whose constituencies local body elections are held unanimously would not be given party tickets to contest the next Assembly elections.
Addressing a meeting of senior YSRCP leaders at Tadepalli, Jagan directed the party to field candidates in every constituency and ensure that there was no scope for unanimous elections.
“If any local body election in a constituency results in a unanimous victory without a YSRCP candidate contesting, the party’s constituency in-charge will not be considered for an Assembly ticket in the next elections,” he said.
Jagan said he would obtain reports after the local body elections on where the party had fielded candidates and would also assess how strongly the respective constituency in-charges and prospective MLA candidates had supported them.
He asked every party leader to keep this directive in mind and work accordingly.
Jagan said that if the local body elections were conducted in a free and fair manner, people would vote against the ruling coalition. He also said the State government’s reported proposal to hold direct elections for local body posts would work to the YSRCP’s advantage.
He directed party leaders to field strong candidates and said they should not hesitate to field family members of senior leaders, if necessary, to support party workers and strengthen the contest.
The party should contest every seat in a manner that gives people an opportunity to voice their concerns and instils confidence among the cadre, he said.
Jagan said the commitment shown by leaders towards party workers during the local body elections would determine the support they receive from the cadre during the general elections.
He said the local body elections should not be viewed merely in terms of victory or defeat, but as an opportunity for leaders to stand by party workers.
Claiming that the elections might not be conducted in a completely impartial manner, Jagan urged local leaders not to take the exercise lightly and to ensure that strong candidates were fielded.
He asked party workers to visit every household and explain the differences between the YSRCP government’s administration and that of the present coalition government. The party would provide the necessary information and campaign material for the door-to-door campaign, he said.
Jagan also announced that identity cards would soon be distributed to party workers, including members of village-level committees and affiliated wings.
He directed the party to hold district-level meetings on September 5, 6 and 7, followed by Assembly constituency-level meetings from September 8 to 11. Meetings at the mandal, ward and division levels should be held from September 12 to 22, he said.
Jagan also instructed the party to activate its media and legal cells in every constituency across the State.
Expressing concern that party workers could face attacks or harassment during the local body elections, he said protecting the cadre would be the responsibility of the party leadership. He also directed leaders to strengthen the party’s social media network in every constituency.
Jagan cautioned leaders against allowing personal egos to influence the selection of candidates and asked them to work by taking everyone along. He directed constituency-level leaders to remain accessible to the cadre for the next two months and not leave their respective constituencies.
Jagan also urged the police to act fairly during the local body elections. If officials harassed party workers or acted unfairly, he asked party leaders to document the incidents and preserve details of those responsible.
He warned that action would be taken in the future against officials who acted in violation of the law.
