Andhra Pradesh: Massive crowds gathered to hear the address of N. Chandrababu Naidu in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, when at least seven people died in a stampede that followed and several others injured, said the local police sources.
Naidu who had served as Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister in the past is the is the leader of the main opposition party of the state. According to the police account, the members of the crowd pushed each other as Naidu arrived for the rally in the town of Kandukur. The town lies in the coastal district of Nellore.
Following the stampede Naidu called off his rally and announced around $1,000 (10 lakh rupees) as compensation to the relatives of persons who died
Naidu hopes to return to power in 2024
In order to bring his party back to power in the state’s 2024 elections, Naidu has been organizing campaigns rallies there . In the event that his Telugu Desam party (TDP) did not win, he said this would be his final election.
The politician, who is 72-years-old, was the chief minister of the state from 2014 until 2019. He lost to his rival Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019. The vote marked a humiliating defeat for Naidu’s party in 2019, which won very few seats after years of being in power.
