In the face of several ups and downs in their two month long election campaign, the candidates of Telangana Rashtra Samithi are pinning high hopes on the party president and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s upcoming State wide tour by helicopter to bail them out.
Like in the 2014 elections, the tour managers of Mr. Rao are drawing up his schedule to address public meetings in just over 100 Assembly constituencies from November 20 to December 5, the last day of campaign. He had addressed meetings in 104 constituencies up to the last day in 2014.
Mr. Rao was said to be credited with the view that the meetings after expiry of the last day for filing of nominations on November 19, were received by public differently as compared to those that took place before the process commenced. Therefore, he was focussed on changing the tenor of his speeches.
Public meetings
Soon after dissolution of the Assembly, Mr. Rao had addressed public meetings at Husnabad, Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Wanaparthy in the name of `Praja Ashirwada Sabha’ but they lacked the punch to drive home the political scenario in the aftermath.
After November 20, he will have enough ammunition to pack his ‘easy to understand’ speeches targeted at the ‘grand alliance’ which did not exist earlier, sources said.
On the other hand, the TRS candidates who have faced the anger of public in several constituencies are eagerly waiting to turn the tide in their favour after Mr. Rao launched the campaign. The party is drawing up a route map that will include five to seven public meetings of Mr. Rao everyday from Nov. 20. The schedule was being drawn up to leave a two-hour gap from one meeting to another. A special helicopter will be arranged for his tour.
The party will also play specially written songs, a few of them by Mr. Rao himself, on the four-year rule of TRS in all constituencies for 15 days. Mr. Rao will also use the meetings as a platform to answer the charges of Opposition on a daily basis.
