Who is feeling very happy at the rise in Omicron cases in the country? If anyone is the happiest, it should be YSRTP chief YS Sharmila. Her yatra is turning out to be a dud with no response whatsoever from the general public. The media coverage too is dwindling by each passing day. She is finding that the narrative she has taken up is out of sync with the issues on the ground. So, the rise in Omicron cases has turned out to be a great alibi to put her padayatra in the cold storage.

With predictions that the Omicron could reach its peak in February or March, it is unlikely that Sharmila will take up any outreach programmes such as padayatra or rallies. This period will also help her to regroup her cadre and plan something substantial. She is said to be upset with her brother YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who she feels is preventing key people in Telangana from joining her party.

Meanwhile, Omicron scare has also put cold water on the spate of agitational programmes that other Opposition parties had planned in Telangana. The BJP has postponed the second phase of the padayatra due to the Omicron issue. Similarly, the Congress Party’s Rachabanda protest programme too could be deferred.

Even the TRS seems to have been affected by the Omicron spread. The party planned massive agitations on the paddy procurement issues. Similarly, KCR wanted to tour several district headquarters to inaugurate the newly-constructed collectorate complexes in several places. However, the party is waiting for the inauspicious period to end. In all probability, any outreach programme is possible only by February-end or the first week of March.