Politics is an extremely tough game and YSRTP chief YS Sharmila is earning this dictum very fast. The launch of her yatra from Chevella was a shocker for her. She wanted the launch to be a glittering affair with a huge turnout of people. She told her party workers to mobilise the crowds in big numbers.

But on the day of the launch of the yatra, the total attendance was around five thousand people. This was a huge disappointment for YS Sharmila. Seeing disappointment writ all over her face, the party leaders had to make contingency arrangements and rush in an additional crowd. They had to go to the points where daily wagers congregate and bring them in.

As a result, the yatra started behind schedule. The leaders waited for the hired crowd to be brought in and then launched the yatra. However, to the credit of Sharmila, she recovered her composure soon. She went through the rigours. Her mother YS Vijayamma was there to pat her on the back and bless her yatra.

Sharmila is said to have told the party workers not to get disappointed by the low turnout. She told them to learn from the mistake committed in the launch programme and ensure that the mistakes were not repeated. Sharmila’s yatra will go on for 400 days and will cover 4000 km. It will begin and end at Chevella, which her father late YSR considered auspicious for him.