TDP leaders demand Naidu’s son to be deputy CM
At present, JSP president and actor Pawan Kalyan is the only deputy chief minister in Naidu’s cabinet and Lokesh is a cabinet minister holding the information technology portfolio.
Hyderabad : The sudden demand from a section of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders in Andhra Pradesh over the last few days asking party president N Chandrababu Naidu to designate his son Nara Lokesh as the deputy chief minister has created uneasiness between the TDP and its alliance partner Jana Sena Party (JSP), people familiar with the matter said.
At present, JSP president and actor Pawan Kalyan is the only deputy chief minister in Naidu’s cabinet and Lokesh is a cabinet minister holding the information technology portfolio.
The choice of Pawan Kalyan as deputy CM was obvious, as he was the one who took the initiative in stitching the alliance among the TDP, Jana Sena and the BJP in the last assembly elections. Besides, his party achieved a 100% strike rate in the elections by winning all the 21 assembly seats allotted to it as part of the alliance.
However, in last few days, there have been demands from a cross section of the TDP leaders, including a couple of politburo members, a cabinet minister, MLAs and former MLAs, besides a lower-rung party leaders, requesting the party president to elevate his son Lokesh as the deputy CM.
The first one to raise the demand was Saripella Rajesh alias Maha Sena Rajesh, a firebrand TDP leader from Krishna district. Rajesh, who frequently stirs debates through his YouTube videos, made a statement on January 13, stating that Lokesh had already earned recognition as a versatile minister in TDP and has the eligibility to become the deputy chief minister. “While nepotism is wrong, denying opportunities based on lineage is equally wrong,” he said.
He expressed his dissatisfaction over Lokesh being seated away during coalition meetings, while Pawan Kalyan being given prominence. “Denying the deputy CM post to Lokesh merely because he is Naidu’s son is unfair. He should be given respectable position in the cabinet,” he said.
Four days later, on January 17, the same demand was raised by TDP politburo member Reddappagari Srinivas Reddy, during a public meeting at Mydukuru, in Kadapa district, in the presence of Chandrababu Naidu. He proposed that Naidu should promote Lokesh as deputy CM, acknowledging his contributions to the party and government. He said an elevation to Lokesh would assure the party’s future and inspire youth. However, Naidu remained silent to Reddy’s request in public.
On the same day, another politburo member of the TDP and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy also endorsed the demand for making Lokesh as the deputy chief minister. “Why not? Lokesh has already proved his leadership capabilities with his Yuvagalam padayatra. He has the fighting spirit which was acknowledged by the people of the state. He deserves the deputy CM post and I request the chief minister to consider the demand,” he said.
In the next couple of days, more leaders like Rajahmundry City MLA Adireddy Srinivas and former Pithapuram MLA SVSN Varma also raised the pitch for making Lokesh as the deputy CM.
In response to these demands, the party leadership on Monday issued a statement, asking the leaders not to make any public comments or issue media statements asking for making Lokesh as the deputy chief minister.
“Any decision with regard to any position will be taken collectively by alliance leaders. Personal opinions should not be imposed on the party,” the party said.
But within hours, state industries minister T G Bharat, raised the issue again in the presence of Naidu and Lokesh at a meeting of Telugu diaspora at Zurich, on the first of Naidu’s visit to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum. He went on to demand that Lokesh should be declared the future CM.
“Whether some people like it or not, our future is Lokesh. He is also the future CM,” Bharat said.
Political analyst Telakapalli Ravi said it was clearly evident that the TDP leadership was trying to build up a narrative that Lokesh is going to be the heir apparent of Naidu and would take over reins of the state after him.
“The TDP leadership is apparently not happy with the way Pawan Kalyan is asserting himself and acting independently in the cabinet. His surprise raids on the Kakinada port, his stinging comments on the failure of law and order in the state threatening to take over the home portfolio and his sudden rush to Tirupati to tender apology over the recent stampede incident at a time when Naidu was reviewing the situation was obviously irritating to the TDP leaders,” Ravi said.
Though the JSP did not react initially, but, when the chorus for Lokesh as deputy CM intensified, they responded. JSP youth leader Sampath Naik took to X and declared that it would be Pawan Kalyan who would be the “future chief minister.” He also claimed that he had received information from reliable sources in Delhi supporting this.
“Can’t a leader from another caste become the chief minister? Why can’t the majority of people choose the right leader?” he asked.
JSP spokesman Kiran Royal said there was no issue with TDP members aspiring for Lokesh to become the deputy CM, but the JSP leaders also strongly wanted to see Pawan Kalyan as the chief minister. “Especially, weaker and marginalised sections of society also wish to see Pawan Kalyan take on the role of chief minister,” he said.
A senior TDP leader said Naidu might not succumb to the demands of the party leaders and take any decision on elevating Lokesh as the deputy CM. “There is a talk in the party that he might elevate Lokesh as the TDP working president first and hand over the party reins to him. By the next assembly elections scheduled in 2029, he might project his son as the chief ministerial candidate,” the leader added.
While Pawan Kalyan hasn’t reacted to the matter, the party, however, recently issued a statement asking the leaders to maintain restraint and not make any controversial statements.
