This should be a million dollar question on the minds of the common man like you and me. Will she overtake him in the giant vote bank marathon that has just begun in the state. Yes the lioness Sharmila of YSRC party is out on the prowl. And particularly wounded after her brother Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, was denied bail. With this her walk turns more significant sending alarm signals to one and all. Hence this padayatra by Ms Sharmila is sure to keep many restless in Hyderabad and Delhi too.
Ms Sharmila is embarking on a massive walkathon across the state covering almost 3,000 kms and it is to commence from 18 October with a prayer at late YSR memorial in Idupugallu (Kadapa District) at 11.00 am. With this fete Sharmila will emulate her fathers walkathon from Chevella to Icchapuram in Srikakulam. However will she be able to camouflage the popularity of TDP which is regaining prolific popularity after the 'Vastunna Mee Kosam' walk.
'Vastunna Mee Kosam' walk embarked by the Telugu Desam Party Supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Gandhi Jayanti, started off with lukewarm response but later gained huge public patronage. The 63 years old veteran is moving almost 20+ Kms per day and kick started his walk from Anantapur District. He is moving at a rapid pace as the walk reaches 17th day in Kurnool district. But there seems to be lesser media glare today. Other than the TDP mouth pieces the other media have slightly focused more on Ms Sharmila.
It may be noted crisscrossing the state started as founder President of the Telugu Desam Party late N T Rama Rao in 1982 embarked on a massive yatra. With his son Hari Krishna as a driver,the leader notched up over 75,000 kilometres across the state in his van named as "Chaitanya Ratham."
Then we had the late Y S Rajashekar Reddy embark on a massive mass contact programme, braving the summer heats of 2003. Unlike his predecessor the late Chief Minister walked across the state mostly. He undertook a three-month-long padayaatra, or walking tour of 1475 km during the very hot summer months, across several districts in Andhra Pradesh as a part of his election campaign.
However the YSR Congress Chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy embarked on 'Odarpu Yatra' to console bereaved families of persons who committed suicide after knowing that YSR was no more in 2009.
But the significant point is that the young lioness, is just a party member and she has no specific designation in the YSRC Party, on the other hand the stalwarts with whom Ms Sharmila is compared with, are all graying with political wisdom. (With inputs from internet-AW AarKay)
