There is growing demand within the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s son and Minister Nara Lokesh to be elevated to the position of Deputy Chief Minister.
Lokesh currently oversees the Human Resources Development and IT portfolios, while Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan is the only Deputy CM in the Chandrababu-led government.
AP legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju said there is growing demand among party leaders for the “elevation” of Lokesh.
“To my knowledge the TDP cadre are very keen to see the party’s general secretary (Lokesh) appointed as Deputy CM. This is the opinion of the party cadre...” Raju told the media.
A senior TDP leader suggested that Janasena may have some concerns if Lokesh is elevated to the same position as Pawan Kalyan, although the final decision rests with the Chief Minister.
He also stated that Lokesh should be positioned to lead both the party and the government when the time comes, making the demand for his elevation justified.
“There is a view that Lokesh should be made the Deputy Chief Minister. The demand stems from the recent membership drive under his supervision, which witnessed a whopping one crore members. Moreover, the time has come for Lokesh to be presented as the future leader of the party,” sources told the media.
According to TDP sources, the idea of making Lokesh the Deputy Chief Minister was discussed during the party’s internal meeting, although Naidu has yet to comment on the matter.
Janasena leaders could not be reached for their comments.
At a meeting in Mydukur, Kadapa district, in which Naidu was present, senior TDP leader Srinivas Reddy, also urged the CM to promote Lokesh to the position to build confidence among the youth and party supporters.
“With this the party will have an excellent future. He is striving to attract investments to the state. People have also recognised it,” he said.
In a video relesed recently, TDP spokesperson Mahasena Rajesh expressed disappointment that Lokesh, who played a key role in bringing the NDA to power in the state, is only serving as a minister and urged the CM to elevate him to Deputy CM.
"... If it takes time to make him (Lokesh) the CM. It is okay. At least make an announcement that he is Deputy CM now and keep his picture in every government office. TDP’s future is Nara Lokesh,” Rajesh said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Lanka Dinakar acknowledged Lokesh’s political maturity and administrative competence but emphasized that political decisions within an alliance should remain the prerogative of individual parties, as long as they do not negatively affect the state or the nation.
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