Lokesh's Padayatra: 200 Days of Inspiration

Lokesh, the young leader of the Telugu Desam Party, set out on a Padayatra that started slowly but has now become a wave of excitement over the course of 200 days. On January 27, when Lokesh started this trip, no one could have known that he would walk for 200 days straight.

The Lokesh Padayatra, which was first called Yuvagalam, began in Kuppam in the district of Chittoor. On Thursday, it passed the important milestone of 200 days in the Polavaram seat of the joint West Godavari district.

What's interesting is that Lokesh has kept going on this Yatra without stopping or resting, even though he has been hurt by fans and his shoulder hurts. During this trip, he has travelled 2,710 km, visited 1,675 towns, and passed through 77 assembly districts and 185 mandals or municipalities. His average daily walk is about 13.5 km, and he once walked 22 km in a single day, which is an amazing feat.

Lokesh has spoken at 64 public meetings, had 132 face-to-face conversations, been to 8 Rachabanda meetings, and taken part in 10 special events in the last 200 days. He has gotten more than 4,000 signatures and talked to many more people one-on-one about their worries.

During his march through the city of Vijayawada, people waited on the streets until 3:30 in the morning to see him. This made Lokesh stop walking and go meet them.

People queue excitedly every morning to take pictures with Lokesh, which shows that he is seen as a star. He lets people take selfies with him if they ask for a "Selfie with Lokesh."

Sources from the TDP say that he takes around 2,000 selfies every day. In one case, 2,500 people took shots with him in Nellore district at the same time. So far, about three hundred thousand people have taken selfies with him. Compared to that, the Padayatra has given TDP members a lot more faith in Lokesh. His promises to pay back with interest once he was in power, his strong protests against the harsh actions of the ruling party leaders, and his promise to the party members all worked well.

Lokesh's reputation has improved a lot, especially among young people and women, based on how people reacted to the Padayatra.In March, when the Graduate MLC votes were held, it was clear that Lokesh's Yuvagalam had an effect. Lokesh was running a race in the Rayalaseema area at the time. TDP won all three graduate MLC elections, including West Rayalaseema, which is a good sign for the party.

The TDP also won byelections for local bodies that were held in the same month. The Yuvagalam by Lokesh is putting pressure on the YSRCP. In the end, this has helped boost the TDP and put Lokesh in a position to be a leader in the state.