Several party leaders pitched for Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary and state IT minister Nara Lokesh’s apppointment as the working president at the party’s three-day biennial conclave, Mahanadu, which kickstarted at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.
While chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is all set to be re-elected as the party’s national president on Wednesday, which will be the second day of Mahanadu, several party leaders including ministers said they would request the party president to announce Lokesh’s redesignation as the working president in the conclave itself.
State irrigation minister Nimmala Rama Naidu told reporters that Lokesh had already proven his capability by effectively coordinating between the party and the government. “It will be in the best interest of the party that the reins must be handed over to the young leader, who can carry Naidu’s legacy for the next 25 years,” he said.
Rama Naidu said that Lokesh is the most admirable among the younger generation of leaders. “While the chief minister is fully immersed in administration and working tirelessly day and night to bring the state back on track, the party responsibilities should now be given to Lokesh. This is the desire of the party cadre and supporters,” he said.
Minister of social welfare Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy recalled that when the TDP was in the opposition, Lokesh had undertaken a marathon “Yuvagalam” padayatra (March of Youth), which renewed the cadre’s enthusiasm and breathed a new lease of life into the party.
{{/usCountry}}Minister of social welfare Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy recalled that when the TDP was in the opposition, Lokesh had undertaken a marathon “Yuvagalam” padayatra (March of Youth), which renewed the cadre’s enthusiasm and breathed a new lease of life into the party.
{{/usCountry}}“Lokesh’s padayatra played a crucial role in the alliance’s victory in the 2024 elections. This is the right time to assign key responsibilities to him,” Swamy said.
Senior leader and government chief whip G V Anjaneyulu also said it was the collective opinion of the party workers that Lokesh should be appointed as the working president. “We will convey this sentiment to Naidu,” he said.
TDP politburo member Reddappagari Srinivas Reddy also aired the same opinion, saying that Lokesh’s appointment as the working president will energize the cadre.