Andhra Pradesh is going to witness elections to the local bodies for the first time nearly 10 months after YSR Congress party led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power in the state.
So, it is natural that the people’s verdict in the local body elections – gram panchayat, mandal parishad and zilla parishads, besides municipalities and municipal corporations in the state would be seen as a referendum on the performance of the Jagan government.
That is why the chief minister has taken these elections as prestigious. At the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Jagan gave a lengthy lecture to his cabinet colleagues, asking them to take the elections seriously.
“There is no question of any laxity in facing the elections and you will be held responsible for any failure in your respective constituencies,” he told his cabinet colleagues.
The chief minister reportedly expressed concern over the reports of internal squabbling in the party in several districts. He asked the ministers to focus on these areas.
“You have to coordinate with all the party leaders in the districts. If there are any differences among the leaders at the local level, you should rectify them,” he said.
What shocked the ministers was Jagan’s warning that he was in possession of all their dossiers on their performance and their functioning in their respective districts.
“The elections clearly reflect the performance of our government. If there is any difference in the results, you will have to pay the penalty,” he reportedly told the ministers.
So, it’s testing time for the ministers from now!
