Buoyed by TDP’s stellar show and BJP falling short, Naidu heads to Delhi with a list of demands
As NDA holds meeting in Delhi, TDP chief may seek Special Category Status, funds for the Polavaram project and a chunk of key Cabinet portfolios from the NDA
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President Chandrababu Naidu. (PTI Photo)
The stellar performance of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Chandrababu Naidu, in Andhra Pradesh, winning 16 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats it contested, and the BJP falling short of the half-way mark at the Centre has catapulted the TDP as the second-largest constituent of the BJP-led NDA, thus giving it a strong bargaining hand.
A day after he spearheaded the landslide, Naidu on Wednesday dismissed rumours of his possible switch to the INDIA bloc and affirmed that he is still a part of the NDA. “I am going to New Delhi to attend the NDA meeting. I will let you know if there are any other developments,” he said in his first comments after the Lok Sabha results.
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Sources said the TDP supremo is likely to seek Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra, an issue over which he had walked out of the NDA in 2018. The SCS will ensure the state gets more Central funds, higher grants-in-aid to the state government and industrial incentives like income tax exemption, custom duty waivers, GST concessions among others.
The TDP chief is also likely to seek additional funds from the Centre to restart the development of Amaravati as the state capital, a project which was stalled after Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress (YSRCP) stormed to power in 2019. Several buildings and apartment complexes built during Naidu’s regime between 2014 and 2019 lie vacant today while civic infrastructure decays.
Naidu, who will take oath as Andhra CM on June 9, intends to start developing the capital city. Tatikonda MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar has said he will come out with a vision document for Amaravati within 100 days of coming to power.
Another demand that Naidu is likely to put forward is funds for the completion of the long-pending Polavaram project, a promise TDP leaders said he has made during campaigning in the run-up to the elections.
TDP insiders say he is also likely to seek several key portfolios in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet and even demand the Speaker’s post. He is also looking to elevate his son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who secured his maiden victory from Managalagiri in the Assembly election, to the national stage.
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Naidu, who claimed the Jagan government indulged in large scale corruption in Andhra, is also likely to urge the NDA to allow central agencies to investigate the “scams” and Jagan.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
