In a move that is being widely talked about, the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has named 12 commoners as its star election campaigners.
Hailing from humble backgrounds, the 12 persons are a stark contrast to the campaigners roped in by other political parties, such as film stars and celebrities, say ruling party sources.
Katari Jagadish from Anakapalli Assembly segment is one of the 12 star campaigners. Others included four homemakers, two farmers, an auto-rickshaw driver, a tailor and four former government volunteers.
Mr. Jagadish, a father of three, runs a small roadside shop sewing seat covers for two-wheelers. His elder son’s engineering course has been supported through a full-fee reimbursement scheme under Jagananna Vidya Deevena and accommodation schemes like Jagananna Vasati Deevena. They were also allotted a house in Jagananna Colony, and Mr. Jagadish also received a backward community-specific pension, according to YSRCP sources.
The YSRCP has submitted a list of these 12 commoners to the Election Commission, designating them as the party’s official ‘Star Campaigners’ for the upcoming polls. They will campaign for the party on the ground and help propagate Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s message until the last mile, the party release added.
“Even before the launch of the ‘Siddham’ campaign, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that his true star campaigners are the people of Andhra Pradesh, and that he did not need anyone else,” recalled Mr. Jagadish.
Some other campaigners are Pandalaneni Sivaprasad of Avanigadda constituency in Krishna district. He is a father of two sons. Recently, his eldest son, Krishna Kishore, secured admission to a Master’s programme in Political Affairs at Columbia University in the United States. The exorbitant course fee of ₹1.36 crore seemed unattainable. He then applied for the YSRCP’s foreign education welfare scheme (Jagananna Videshi Deevena) and received the required funds.
Anantha Lakshmi from Rajahmundry City constituency in East Godavari district has set up a clothing shop in her village to support her family through the ‘Jagananna Chedodu’ scheme. She highlighted the case of Dasari Mahalakshmi, a woman who received ₹2 lakh insurance upon her husband’s death, along with ‘Pension Kanuka’ and ‘Amma Vodi’ schemes.
Syed Anwar of Nellore district spoke about how several thousand students were now getting access to English-medium education, attending digital classrooms, and receiving improved facilities, all of which had led to a huge confidence boost for them.
Challa Eswari, from Mylavaram constituency in NTR district, worked as a YSRCP government volunteer overseeing 50 households.
