TDP stage set for Nara Lokesh elevation to working president, Chandrababu's No. 2
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Nara Lokesh is likely to be elevated to the post of the party's working president during its upcoming conclave.
The son of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh, is also the state Minister for Human Resource Development, Information Technology, Electronics and Communication.
The TDP is a key ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh.
A TDP source told The Indian Express, 'Chandrababu Naidu will continue to be the national president of the party. Palla Srinivasa Rao will remain the party's state unit chief. A new role – the party working president – is being created for Nara Lokesh now.'
Lokesh's elevation is expected to take place during the TDP's crucial three-day conclave, called 'Mahanadu', which is getting underway in Kadapa on Tuesday.
The TDP source, however, also said that 'the appointment of Lokesh to the new party post could be delayed only if Chandrababu Naidu thinks that Mahanadu is not the right occasion for it'.
Lokesh, 42, would be named the TDP working president in view of his 'contributions to the party', the source said.
In the TDP circles Lokesh was credited with playing a significant role in the party's resounding win in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Lokesh has adopted a six-pronged strategy to lead the TDP. He has been calling for 'uniting the Telugu identity worldwide', stressing on the concept of 'my Telugu family'. He has been focusing on the 'Stree Shakti' programme to ensure leadership roles for women.
'Lokesh has also focused on welfare schemes and social justice measures to empower the backward classes (BCs) and other backward communities,' a TDP leader said, adding that he has been promoting Yuvagalam or youth empowerment through creation of opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.
'Besides farmers' development, Lokesh is also pushing for a 'Cadre is the Leader' programme meant to promote the grassroot leadership in the party,' the TDP leader said, adding that these six focus areas, dubbed 'six pillars of the party's new vision', would be discussed at length during the Mahanadu.
TDP leaders have attributed Lokesh's rise to his 'role in government' too. As a Minister, Lokesh brought out a new IT policy besides streamlining the investment process, they said, adding that 'he has also attracted investors who had left Andhra Pradesh during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government'.
'In the field of education, Lokesh has worked to fill teachers' vacancies and bring about a qualitative change in students' learning experience,' a TDP leader claimed.
His appointment as the TDP working president would effectively reinforce Lokesh's position as Chandrababu Naidu's No. 2 in the party.
In his debut election in 2019, Lokesh had lost to the YSRCP's candidate in the Mangalagiri Assembly constituency in Guntur district by over 5,000 votes. He bounced back in the 2024 polls to win the seat by over 91,000 votes. His padayatra (foot march) spanning 3,132 kms across the state was listed by the TDP as one of the factors for its win in the 2024 polls.
Lokesh's elevation is also seen in the TDP to be in line with the 'generational shift' which Naidu seems to be effecting in the party ranks. 'Decisions taken by Lokesh are not questioned by Naidu as he has complete confidence in him. The two are in perfect sync,' a TDP leader said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Commoners to politicians, all join in to celebrate last Bada Mangal
Faith was served hot on the city streets as everybody from commoners to politicians soaked in the Bada Mangal festivities on Tuesday. While some distributed food, water and juices, others organised unique bhandaras. BJP city president Anand Dwivedi participated in various bhandaras, including one organised by excise minister Nitin Aggrawal at his residence in Gautampalli where state general secretary BJP Anoop Gupta, state president BJP Bhupendra Singh, deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya were also present. Dwivedi also participated in bhandaras organised by former MLC Arvind Tripathi Guddu, Vinayak Pandey, Gautam Kumar, Ravi Shankar Chaurasia, Shishir Bajpai, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Anita Tiwari, Madan Kumar, Kulbir Chaudhary, Danish Sonkar, Rajiv Mishra and Alambagh Vyapar Mandal and distributed prasad. Senior BJP leader Neeraj Singh also participated in the feasts and cultural programmes organised by social organisations, traders and workers. At a bhandara organised by Shiv Sharan Singh at UP Press Club, he was present with deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak. Samajwadi Party's state general secretary and business leader Rambabu Rastogi organised a grand bhandara next to Thakurganj Kalyangiri temple in which former cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav distributed prasad after performing the puja. During the puja, Jagdeep Chaudhary, Rajesh Yadav, Rajbala Rawat, Anil Verma, Neeraj Srivastava, Satendra Rajput, Narendra Singh, Mayank Singh, Vijay Verma, Sanjay Dwivedi, Ashwini Mishra, Umesh Bajpai, Ajay Verma, Mudit Mishra, Salim Hussain were present. Some socio-cultural organisation held bhandaras with a cause on the occasion. At a bhandara organised by a group of individuals from Madad Karona foundation, towels and water was distributed to rickshaw pullers and labourers. Abdul Saboor, founder of the foundation said that while there is an abundance of food for people on Bada Mangal, we distributed towels and water for those who work hard under scorching summer heat. 'The towels will help those doing tedious work by preventing them from getting heat strokes for the entire summer season,' said Saboor. A bhandara with tree saplings was organised outside UP Sangeet Natak Akademi by Repertwahr Foundation to promote green cover and importance of plantation.
Deccan Herald
16 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Situation in border areas has improved under Modi: Pralhad Joshi
Joshi was addressing a press conference on the track record of the Modi-led government over the past 11 years.
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
At foundation day events, rival NCP factions rule out reunion
Pune: Leaders of both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar — on Tuesday indicated that there is no immediate scope for a reunion between the two camps, as they marked the party's 26th foundation day at separate events in Pune. The statements came amid growing political buzz over a possible merger in the run-up to crucial local body elections in Maharashtra. In its May ruling, the Supreme Court directed the state government to conduct long-pending civic polls — including for 29 municipal corporations and several municipal councils — within four months. The elections are expected to take place by September. At the NCP event in Pune's Balewadi stadium, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar avoided giving a definitive answer on the merger issue, saying such decisions are taken by top leaders, not by party workers or junior leaders. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare was more categorical. 'There is no such proposal,' he said when asked about the possibility of the two factions coming together again. Tatkare maintained that the decision to join the NDA was a collective one taken in the interest of the people. 'It was not Ajit Pawar's personal decision. From 2014, there were several moments when the (then united) party considered joining the BJP-led alliance, only to change its mind at the last minute. In 2023, we finally joined hands with the NDA for the welfare of the people, without compromising on our secular ideology,' he said. Ajit also defended his faction's decision to be part of the BJP-Shiv Sena government. 'We are not saints who will stay in the opposition just to protest. We want to work for the people,' he said. At the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) event at Balgandharva auditorium, party chief Sharad Pawar acknowledged that last year's split had shaken the organisation but praised the workers who remained with the party. 'We never imagined that the party would split, but it did. Still, you continued the work with determination,' he told them. Without naming his nephew, he said, 'Some people chose a different path and embraced another ideology. I do not want to dwell on it today, but the ones who stayed back did so because they believed in the party's core values.' Responding to questions about a possible reunion, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule sidestepped the issue. 'I have not had the time to discuss internal matters with party leaders or even my own family over the past 15 days,' she said. Sule recently led a multi-party delegation to several countries following Operation Sindoor. Sharad also cautioned against dwelling on who left and who stayed. 'If we remain united and work for the common people, we will face no problems,' he said. He reiterated that the coming elections would bring a different outcome and signalled that the party was preparing to fight the local polls with renewed vigour. While both parties played down the possibility of reuniting, insiders in both camps admit that the real test of strength will come during the civic polls, where they are expected to go head-to-head in several key urban centres.
