Vijayawada: Telugu Desam Party national president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu bugled the early polls bell during his meeting with the party senior leaders in the coordination committee meeting. Though the government has the time till May 2019, Chandrababu Naidu had given indications of going for polls a few months ahead, which means in the December 2018-January 2019 season, which is favourable for campaign as educational institutions will remain closed for Christmas-Pongal holidays.

Naidu preferring early polls is not new as he did so in 2004 with an eye on the sympathy that he had received after the Alipiri blast targeting him in October 2003. Though this did not work for him in retaining power, Chandrababu Naidu is understood to have decided on early polls this time again, mostly banking on the two pet projects – Polavaram and Amaravati. Chandrababu Naidu is said to have come to a conclusion that these two projects on which he had been working hard for the past three years, would fetch him more votes and help him retain the power. Moreover, he believes in a sentiment that the TDP had won the 1994 elections and it repeated the victory in 1999. This would repeat for the party as it had won the 2014 elections and is sure of victory in January 2019. Keeping this sentiment aside, it is believed that Chandrababu Naidu is believing strongly that his development plank and the unfinished works would come in his favour and help him retain the power. In fact, it was on his experience and ability that have helped him win the 2014 elections as the State needed a leader like him after bifurcation. He believes that people in the State still have the confidence in him to develop the residuary State and continue the plans of building the capital and completing the Polavaram project. It is a fact that the two projects are seen as lifeline for the State and people have high hopes on the government.

Though the two projects are part of the Reorganisation Act and the Central government is funding them, Chandrababu Naidu is focusing more on these two on a day-to-day basis. The works on Polavaram are progressing at a greater speed and people have confidence that the project would change the fate of the State. It is for this reason, he is monitoring the project works on every Monday and making virtual and personal inspections frequently. The second project of building capital city too is a greater issue for the State. The cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai or even Mumbai are not being considered given the extensive campaign and projection that Chandrababu Naidu had been giving for Amaravati. Having lost Hyderabad in the bifurcation, people of Andhra Pradesh are looking for a greater city than Hyderabad and believe that only Chandrababu Naidu can build it. Interestingly, Chandrababu Naidu is now busy finalizing the designs for the new capital and the works are set to begin by end of 2017 so as to be projected in the next election as an ‘unfinished task’ that needs continuation.

Interestingly there are critics for Chandrababu Naidu’s claims on these two projects. While the credit for Polavaram Project is given to late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy for his initiative, the land pooling taken up for Amaravati brought some negative campaign for Chandrababu Naidu, as fertile agriculture lands are destroyed.
It is to be seen how Chandrababu Naidu would cash in on these two projects in the next elections to retain the power.