Will Lokesh’s wife Brahmani take over TDP reins? Here’s why cadres are upbeat

Speculation is rife among Telugu Desam Party (TDP) circles that the 35-year-old wife of Nara Lokesh, son of party president Chandrababu Naidu, would take a plunge into politics to take the reins of the party soon.

Ever since Naidu was arrested on September 9, in a case of fraud which was allegedly committed while establishing skill development centres (SDC) when he was chief minister between 2014 and 2019, Lokesh’s arrest has been the topic of heated debate.

Overenthusiastic YSR Congress ministers claim day in and day out that Lokesh’s arrest will inevitably come next. Adding fuel to the speculation, the CID also said Lokesh’s complicity in Naidu’s corruption is under investigation. Naidu’s family members, too, are apprehensive of Lokesh’s arrest. Lokesh was the Information Technology minister in Naidu’s cabinet.

So, what next if Lokesh, like his father, is also sent to jail? That is the question haunting the TDP leaders. In that case, for many, Nara Brahmani will be the last port of call for the party to fight the 2024 elections against Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

Only option?

Naidu is currently lodged in the Rajahmundry Central Prison following a 14-day judicial remand ordered by an anti-corruption court in Vijayawada. Since the case is being seen as an attempt to weaken the TDP, the party leaders apprehend that the police may also arrest Lokesh, as he is emerging as the next leader of the party. So, his arrest, they fear, is bound to destabilize the party at a time when the elections are around the corner. In such an eventuality, Brahmani as a family member is seen as the only option to save the party from the brink of collapse.

Brahmani is the daughter of movie star MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, the son of party founder NT Ramarao. Lokesh’s mother Bhuvaneswari is his elder sister. Brahmani was married to Lokesh in 2007. Brahmani, mother to a son, Devensh, worked in a venture capital firm in Singapore before her marriage. Currently, she is the executive director of the family-owned Heritage Foods.

“We are expecting a positive outcome from the quash petition filed by Naidu in high court. If the case against Naidu is quashed, there would be no more arrests, and it will invigorate the party further. If things go wrong, we would welcome Brahmani as our leader if that is the party’s decision. It will not only boost the morale of the party workers but will also be a game changer,” said Somisetty Venkateswarlu, TDP general secretary.

A reluctant Naidu

Somisetty is not alone in this. TDP Leaders across the state foresee a situation where the party would have no option but to pass on the baton to Brahmani, who is now looking after Heritage Foods and the activities of NTR Trust.

An MBA from Stanford Business School, Brahmani had hitherto confined herself to the business. Recently, when the issue of appointing the president of the Telangana TDP unit cropped up, a few leaders recommended Brahmani as the right choice. But Naidu is said to have rejected the idea.

The second time her name cropped up in political discussion was when there was some uncertainty over the incumbent candidate of the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency. Beyond that, neither Naidu nor Lokesh ever gave an indication of Brahmani’s entry into public life.

What Jagan faced

This is a situation similar to the one YS Jaganmohan Reddy faced when he was arrested by CBI in a disproportionate assets case in May 2012. Jagan was arrested on the charge that he extracted benefits as quid pro quo to the favours his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy as the chief minister allegedly showered illegally on many companies. YSR died in September 2009 in a helicopter crash.

The Congress’s refusal to appoint Jagan as YSR’s successor prompted him to part ways and launch his own party in 2011. With his arrest, the newly formed YSR Congress Party was thrown into chaos. But his sister YS Sharmila took up the leadership. She kept the party afloat by taking up 3000 km of padayatra across the state until Jagan was released from jail after 16 months, in September 2013.

Many TDP leaders foresee a similar situation that forces the arrival of Brahmani on the scene. They cite her impromptu address to the media after the mulakat with her father-in-law in Rajahmundry jail on September 19 as proof of her political maturity to lead the party.

Double blessing

“Her defence of Naidu, the clarity of understanding of the motive behind the arrest, and her ability to analyse the case are enough proof of her mature mind. She was a brilliant student and graduated from the prestigious Stanford Business School. We welcome her with open arms to lead the party. But this is not the time to talk about leadership change. We are hopeful that the case will be quashed in the high court and Naidu will come out of jail to lead the party,” a close aide of Naidu told The Federal.

In fact, party cadres are upbeat over the prospect of Brahmani leading the party, said a TDP politburo member on condition of anonymity. “Her entry is a double blessing for us. One, it will silence those who say Naidu has ignored NTR’s family members, as Brahmani is his granddaughter. Two, she is refined, well-educated, and a successful entrepreneur,” he said.

On the other side, while senior lawyers struggle to get bail for Naidu in the case, the CID has filed Prisoner Transit (PT) warrant petitions against him in the court in two more cases, implying that the chances of his release from jail are bleak and a chance of Lokesh’s arrest are bright, which makes Brahmani’s entry to lead the party imminent.