It's 'son rise' in Andhra as Chandrababu Naidu projects Nara

Ever since his quiet entry into the party politics in 2013, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh has often been the target of derisive jokes on social media. His critics dub him as ‘Andhra Pappu’.

The 36-year-old Stanford Management Graduate is frequently trolled on Twitter for his goof-ups in public speeches and his clear discomfiture while pronouncing certain Telugu names. However, it is no secret that Naidu, a doting father, has been grooming him to eventually take over the mantle of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Lokesh has now come of age. His moment of reckoning appears to have arrived. The stage is now set for his electoral debut. After scouting long for a safe seat for his entry into the Assembly, Naidu has finally zeroed in on Mangalagiri constituency in coastal Andhra which is part of the new capital region expected to witness a development boom in the coming years.

Backroom strategist

Lokesh, who was more of a backroom strategist in his initial days in the party, is now a minister in his father’s cabinet, handling Information Technology and Municipal Administration portfolios. He is presently a member of the State Legislative Council. This ‘backdoor entry’ to prominence has been evoking opposition criticism. The April 11 elections to the Assembly provides the first opportunity for the scion of the TDP’s first family to test the political waters.

Mangalagiri has been chosen for his electoral debut because the constituency is dominated by Kammas and Backward Class communities, considered the key support base of the ruling party. It is closer to the new capital Amaravati, the nerve centre of the government activity.

Though initially several constituencies like Bheemli, Visakhapatnam (north), Kuppam, Pedakoorapadu were considered, the Chief Minister finally opted for Mangalagiri, given its proximity to the capital region and the caste equations in the constituency. It is part of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).

In 2014 elections, the YSR Congress Party candidate A Ramakrishna Reddy won the seat by the smallest margin of just 12 votes. This time around, the opposition party is planning to field a candidate from BC community to take on Lokesh.

Quiet entry

Lokesh was earlier managing the dairy business of his family before making a quiet entry into the party. For long, Lokesh was widely seen as a ‘backroom boy’ of the party, giving strategic inputs to its policies and programmes. He had soon emerged as cynosure of all eyes in the party for his social outreach and skill development initiatives. He was made the coordinator of the TDP Workers’ Welfare Fund and later a formal party member at the TDP’s ‘Mahanadu,’ the annual general body meeting, in 2013.

Lokesh is largely seen as an organisational man with limited public speaking skills. He was elevated as the party’s general secretary and ex-officio politburo member in September, 2015 in a first firm indication of the succession plan in the regional party. He was inducted into the cabinet in 2017.

However, a section of party leaders feel that Lokesh, though educated abroad and gifted with managerial skills, lacks mass appeal. His corporate style of functioning may not be suited to run a political party, they argue.