Chandrababu Naidu to begin poll campaign after Tirupati trip, says he wants to make his 'soldiers' war-ready

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday announced that he will begin his poll campaign after offering prayers at Tirupati temple. [caption id=“attachment_6022601” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. PTI[/caption] “At first, I will go to Tirupati for ‘darshan’, and then I will start campaigning. Before the war, I will have to make my soldiers ready,” the TDP chief said. “We are ready for the elections. The TDP government in the state successfully implemented several welfare programmes and strove hard for the development of the state in all sectors, despite the state’s bifurcation problems,” he said. He further termed the ensuring General Elections as a test to protect the self- respect of the people in Andhra Pradesh. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government failed to fulfill the promise of according a special category status to Andhra Pradesh," he said. The Chief Minister said that though Andhra Pradesh has a right to rule from Hyderabad, he came to the state for its development. “The state government successfully completed the construction of secretariat in nine months.” The Election Commission of India had on Sunday announced the schedule for the 17th Lok Sabha election, which will be held in seven phases beginning 11 April. The final phase of voting will take place on 19 May. The counting of votes will be done on 23 May.