In TDP shakeup, Nara Lokesh gets a more prominent role
The party also got its first woman National General Secretary in Lok Sabha MP from Nandyala, Dr Byreddy Shabari
N Lokesh Naidu (43), Andhra Pradesh’s IT and HRD Minister and Telugu Desam Party’s National General Secretary. (Photo: X/@naralokesh) N Lokesh Naidu (43), Andhra Pradesh’s IT and HRD Minister and Telugu Desam Party’s National General Secretary, has been appointed as the National Working President by the party, in a smooth change of leadership. The TDP also got its first woman National General Secretary – Lok Sabha MP from Nandyala, Dr Byreddy Shabari. Her appointment is seen as a message ahead of the Women’s Reservation Bill. K Ram Mohan Naidu, an MP from Srikakulam and a Union Minister, and TDP strategist and close aide of Lokesh, Rajesh Kilaru, have been appointed as National General Secretaries.
A radiologist by profession, Dr Shabari is a first-time MP and hails from a family of politicians. Her father, Byreddy Rajashekhar Reddy, was a two-time MLA from Nandikotkur. He had started his political career in the BJP but switched to TDP ahead of the 1994 elections. Dr Shabari’s grandfather is three-time TDP MLA Byreddi Seshasayana Reddy. Rajesh is a long-time friend of Lokesh Naidu and a close confidant who planned and helped Lokesh undertake his gruelling, over-3,000-km padayatra ‘Yuva Galam’, which helped Lokesh connect with rural youth and reap dividends in the 2024 elections.
TDP National President N Chandrababu Naidu, who held extensive meetings before deciding, retained Palla Srinivasa Rao as the Andhra Pradesh unit president.
The newly constituted party structure includes a 26-member Politburo, a three-member Political Bureau of India, a national committee and a state committee. The national body will have three general secretaries — K Ram Mohan Naidu, Dr Shabari, and Rajesh Kilaru — 18 vice-presidents and 10 spokespersons, while the state unit will comprise seven general secretaries, 16 vice-presidents, 14 spokespersons, 111 zonal coordinators, 58 executive secretaries and 77 secretaries.
In a significant move, the party inducted grassroots leaders into top decision-making bodies. Naidu said the party prioritised social justice and inclusivity in the new committees. Women have been given representation at several levels, including 50 positions in the state committee. Of the 185 state committee members, 122 belong to socially and economically backward and marginalised sections — including 77 from Backward Classes, 25 from Scheduled Castes, seven from Scheduled Tribes and 13 from minority communities. The party said the restructuring reflects a blend of experience and loyalty, while also providing opportunities to those who were not accommodated in nominated posts. The exercise is seen as a strategic move by Naidu to strengthen the party organisation and prepare for the 2029 Assembly elections.
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