If the Congress can send a minimum of 41 out of 42 MPs from the state to the Lok Sabha, then it will add to the party gaining an absolute majority. The target is not just 275 seats in the Lok Sabha but also seeing Rahul Gandhi as prime minister. This is possible, he told a meeting of party MLAs and the district chapter heads on Thursday, in view of the unfolding crisis in the BJP. That party is bound to weaken further, he said. But the BJP is hardly a contender in Andhra Pradesh, as the major challenger is the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). And as things stand, the TDP is not exactly down and out, having won a substantial number of seats in the recent elections. Perhaps, that is a matter of detail.
YSR has his own strategy of how he will sweep the 2014 elections. He will ensure that the administration delivers programmes like the NREGS and the Indiramma Housing. As for his pet programme of extending irrigation, he is sure that by 2014, all irrigation projects would have been completed, bringing at least one crore acres in the state under irrigation. He will undertake “surprise” visits to three villages in every district to keep the administration on its toes in terms of implementation of various developmental programmes.
Importantly, building up the party organisation is essential and he has begun to think of 2014 because “a strong organisation is not built overnight”. As far as the Assembly is concerned, the party should strive to win 230 seats.
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