SIR crucial to sustain electoral strength: Naidu

Vijayawada: Chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has directed party leaders and legislators to remain vigilant and actively participate in the voter verification exercise to strengthen the party’s electoral base.

Addressing a workshop on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, at the TDP central office on Tuesday, he said the party must focus on expanding the number of constituencies where it enjoys sustained electoral success. Citing examples of constituencies such as Hindupur and Kuppam where the TDP has been consistently winning since its inception, he urged party leaders to add more constituencies to that category.

Urging first-time legislators to not remain as one-term MLAs and work towards securing repeated victories through performance and public trust, the CM said votes are earned through development and good governance, while the conduct of public representatives can either increase or reduce public support. “Even if a leader works extensively for the people, failure to exercise restraint in public conduct can cause political damage,” he said, adding that character and trust are vital for everyone in the party -- right from the grassroots workers to senior leaders.

Referring to the NDA govt’s mega DSC recruitment drive, he said the administration fulfilled its election promise by launching the recruitment process immediately after assuming office. He alleged that 241 cases were filed to stall the exercise, but the govt overcame the legal hurdles and completed the recruitment process in a transparent manner.

He called upon party leaders to ensure that no mistakes occur, either knowingly or unknowingly, and maintain close engagement with people as the SIR process progresses. “Knock on every door in your constituencies to ascertain and ensure that names of genuine voters are not missing from the lists. All MPs, MLAs, and party activists should be very active to make the SIR process successful. All party leaders should trek on e-bicycle to make 'cycle' (TDP election symbol) strong,” the chief minister said, while expressing his displeasure over legislators who abstained from Tuesday’s meeting.