Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today (May 8) address an election meeting in Andhra Pradesh's Annamayya district and hold a roadshow at Vijayawada in NTR district. The meeting is scheduled to take place at Kaliri near Rajampet while the roadshow is expected to commence around 7:00 pm from the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium on Bandar Road in Vijayawada.
"Let's welcome our Prime Minister who is coming to Rajampet to give an assurance for the aspirations of Andhra people," the Andhra Pradesh BJP said in a post on 'X'.
Today's public meeting is going to be PM Modi's third in the southern state in the run-up to the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls on May 13. It comes in the wake of two recent meetings at Rajamahendravaram and Anakapalli recently, preceded by the first National Democratic Alliance (NDA) election meeting at Boppudi village in Palnadu district's Chilakaluripeta mandal on March 17 after the announcement of the election schedule on March 16.
BJP candidate from Rajampet seat
N Kiran Kumar is the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from the Rajampet constituency. He will take on the YSRCP's P Mithun Reddy, while the TDP's K Sivanath will take on his brother K Srinivas from the ruling party in the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat.
As part of a seat-sharing deal among NDA partners, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was allocated 144 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies while the BJP will contest from six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats.
The Janasena will contest two Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats. TDP, BJP and Janasena are part of the NDA in Andhra Pradesh. Election results will be declared on June 4 (Tuesday).
Elections for the 175 Assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled on May 13.
Can NDA guarantee special status to Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
The ruling YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday (May 7) asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the NDA can guarantee special category status to Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minister was speaking at a public meeting at Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam as part of an intense election campaign across the state.
"PM Modi blamed Chandrababu Naidu in the previous elections for turning Polavaram into an ATM (corruption). Interestingly, the very Prime Minister who called Chandrababu Naidu highly corrupt is now praising him because of their alliance with the TDP," said Reddy.
He said it is for the people to reflect on the depth of political manoeuvring and the extent to which allegiances shift according to circumstances, hinting at the turnarounds of the NDA partners over the years.
Jagan Mohan Reddy's allegations
The ruling party chief cautioned the people of the port city, saying that if they vote for NDA then the alliance would privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and urged them to vote for YSRCP if that should not happen. Earlier at Rajanagaram in East Godavari district, he alleged that TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu along with BJP state president D Purandeswari was stalling the distribution of welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh.
"They are putting pressure on the Election Commission to stall direct benefit transfer (DBT) financial assistance on ongoing welfare schemes of the state like pensions and input subsidy, among others," he said at a meeting.
Noting that people were witnessing the 'drama' being orchestrated by Naidu, Reddy observed that the opposition leader is allegedly making use of Delhi-based alliance partner (BJP) to stir up major controversies for inflicting sufferings on people.
People who received welfare pensions at their doorsteps for the past five years were now compelled to run from pillar to post to collect them, he charged. Considering these hardships, the CM asked elderly people to respond with double vigour while voting to bring him back to power for reinstating pension services.
Claiming that the TDP chief is behind these plots, the YSRCP chief noted that this marks a new low in democracy. Moreover, Reddy asserted the YSRCP will regain power on June 4 and within a week expedite all welfare schemes distribution.
(With agencies inputs)
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