The TDP, which is set to form the new government in residual Andhra Pradesh after the State’s bifurcation on June 2, will contest the 2019 polls as a national party.

This was the agenda set by party president N Chandrababu Naidu for its politburo and cadres at the party’s annual convention, Mahanadu, here on Tuesday.

Addressing a large gathering of party workers from different districts in the State, Naidu said for the party to grow into a national one, it has to have a presence in five or six states and garner at least 6 per cent of votes.

“We can do it. It is for us to work towards it right from now,” he said.

The Seemandhra Chief Minister-designate disappointed certain sections as he was supposed to come out with some firm announcements on the development of the region. Instead, most part of his about 90-minute speech was spent on how he had transformed Hyderabad into “Cyberabad” and “Hi-tech City” during his earlier tenure as CM. He promised to repeat the magic with Seemandhra, with his favourite quote of transforming the region into a Singapore.

Residual Andhra Pradesh State will start off with a deficit of ₹15,000 crore, he said.

Naidu took on Telangana Chief Minister-designate K Chandrasekhara Rao, ridiculing the latter’s statement that the party will set up a “war room”. “He (KCR) does not need a war room, instead he should set up a peace room and development room if he wants real development in the region,” he said.

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