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.
