Building ARF: How We Grew a Youth Network Across Andhra Pradesh

During the YSRCP campaigns I built a network of young volunteers that we called ARF, the Arjun Reddy Family. By my own count it grew to roughly 15,000 to 20,000 young people across constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. I want to write about how that happened. I am not interested in the size for its own sake. What interests me is what holds a network like that together, because the same principles apply to any community, whether political, social or commercial.

Why youth

Andhra Pradesh is a young state in every sense. Many of the people who came to padayatra meetings, or shared campaign content on their phones, were students and first-time voters. They had energy, time and networks of their own. What they often lacked was a way in: someone who would take them seriously and give them a real role.

Why "Family"

The name was deliberate. A volunteer network that treats people as headcount falls apart after the event. "Family" set an expectation in both directions: you show up for us, and we show up for you. We meant that in practical ways. People got credit when something went well. Someone answered when they had a problem. Nobody was left stranded at a venue at night.

The structure

I will not pretend there was a perfect organisation chart. But the principles were simple:

1. Local first. Every constituency needed its own coordinators who knew the area. Nobody from outside can mobilise a village they do not know.
2. Small groups. Large groups go quiet. Small groups with a named lead stay active.
3. One clear ask at a time. Attend this meeting, share this message, help with this survey, manage this entry gate. Vague asks get vague results.
4. Feedback upward. Volunteers hear things leaders do not. A good network carries information in both directions.

This mirrors what professional campaign teams also built at booth level. In 2019, for example, the campaign set up booth committees with a convener and ten workers. In 2024 the "Memu Siddham, Maa Booth Siddham" programme trained volunteers at every booth. ARF was a youth layer that worked alongside that formal structure.

What volunteers actually did

Across campaigns, ARF members helped with on-ground execution: turnout and crowd management at public meetings, logistics support, door-to-door outreach, surveys, and sharing campaign communication online. Social media outreach was a natural fit. A young volunteer with a phone and a network of friends is a broadcaster in their own right.

What keeps a network alive

I learned this the hard way. Networks die when they are used only on event days. They stay alive when:

• people are informed before the public is, so they feel like insiders;
• there is recognition, a mention, a photo or a thank-you from someone senior;
• there is a standard of conduct. Every volunteer represents everyone else, and respect for people of every party is not optional;
• the purpose is bigger than the next event.

Beyond politics

Today I think of ARF less as a campaign asset and more as proof that young people in Andhra Pradesh will commit time and effort when they are trusted. Building that kind of community is one of the things I am proudest of. The lessons on structure, communication and respect are the same ones I now apply when building teams and communities in business.