Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu has promised to take development further to the grassroots if people vote for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates in the ensuing local body elections.

Addressing a public meeting at Proddatur in Kadapa district on Monday to launch rural drinking water projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Mr. Naidu used the occasion to seek votes for the alliance in the local body elections, which are round the corner. He said the NDA, with its focus firmly on development, had every right to seek the people’s mandate.

“With the State and Union governments run by the NDA, we are offering a ‘Double Engine Sarkar’. If the local bodies also come to our side, I promise to provide a ‘Triple Engine Sarkar’ to the people,” he said, amid applause from the gathering.

Mr. Naidu also appealed to voters not to base their choice solely on the merits of individual candidates, but to elect those backed by the NDA to ensure that their local bodies benefited from developmental projects.

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav, Ministers S. Savitha (BC Welfare), Ponguru Narayana (Municipal Administration), B.C. Janardhan Reddy (Roads and Buildings), Proddatur MLA N. Varadarajulu Reddy, Principal Secretary Kantilal Dande, Kadapa District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri, Panchayat Raj Commissioner Krishna Teja and Rural Water Supply Engineer-in-Chief Gayatri Devi were among those present.