The TDP is facing several challenges these days. It is fighting a young enemy with a force that mainly comprises veterans who are staring at political retirement. Even the TDP chief is showing demonstrably slower reflexes. The pension scheme politics of Jagan are proving to be more effective than the infra-building, long-term benefit politics of Chandrababu.

TDP inner circles feel that more than all these, there is a failure on the part of the TDP in understanding the new-age politics. Chandrababu is increasingly finding out that the sop-oriented and dole-dependent politics of Jagan have a better edge than the cadre-based, long-term politics of the TDP. He is finding that politics in AP have become more like a 20-20 match rather than a test match.

If sources are to be believed, Chandrababu has come to the conclusion that the TDP badly needs some election spin doctors. A search for the right poll wizard is on in the TDP. If the sources serve us right, Lokesh Babu is now on the lookout for such spin doctors. He is said to have met some such spin doctors already. It may be recalled that even before the 2019 elections, the TDP had requisitioned the services of one Robin Sharma for perception management and image building.

Even after the 2019 debacle, Chandrababu has been going ahead with Robin Sharma. In addition to Robin, the TDP is now planning to rope in another poll spin doctor. The YSRCP had used Prashant Kishore in 2019. But, PK had already indicated that he would not offer his services to the YSRCP again. Given the situation, the TDP is now trying to requisition the services of a poll wizard to help it sail through in 2024, which promises to be a make-or-break election for the TDP.