The choice of Kadapa, the heartland of the YSRCP and the home turf of Jagan Mohan Reddy, is a calculated message of TDP's growing dominance in what was once hostile territory.
Published May 15, 2025 | 9:30 AM ⚊ Updated May 15, 2025 | 9:30 AM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. (X)
Synopsis: The ruling TDP is gearing up for its annual Mahanadu in the Kadapa district. The decision to hold the Mahanadu in Rayalaseema is a strategic move to consolidate gains and eliminate the relics of former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s influence.
The ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh is gearing up for its annual Mahanadu, scheduled from 27 to 29 May, marking the birth anniversary of its founder and legendary actor-politician, the late NT Rama Rao (NTR), on 28 May. This year’s event is expected to be not only grand in scale but also politically significant.
Meanwhile, subtle yet deliberate efforts are underway to position Information Technology and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh as the political heir to his father, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The choice of venue — Kadapa district — for the first time since the party’s inception in March 1982, adds to the strategic weight of the event.
Briefing the media after the Politburo meeting on Wednesday, 14 May, TDP’s Andhra Pradesh president Palla Srinivasa Rao announced that approximately 50,000 delegates from grassroots level to state-level units would participate on the concluding day. The event will culminate in a massive public meeting in Kadapa, once considered the political bastion of YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In a way, the public meeting will be a political statement that the tide has turned and it will remain irreversible.
Within the party, Lokesh is already widely seen as the youth icon and Naidu’s natural successor. While protocol may place Pawan Kalyan second in the government hierarchy, political observers frequently note Lokesh’s commanding presence.
Nevertheless, the coalition dynamics between TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP are being managed with care, with Lokesh often addressing Pawan Kalyan as “Anna” (elder brother) as a gesture of respect and alliance harmony.
In the government, despite being deputy chief minister, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is often overshadowed by Lokesh, who has taken a more prominent and active role in governance and public engagement.
While Pawan Kalyan mostly focuses on his environment and forests portfolio and occasionally speaks out on ideological issues, Lokesh has been actively traversing the state, representing the government at major events, even skipping cabinet meetings, such as recently when he attended LG Electronics’ ₹5,000 crore investment groundbreaking in Sri City.
This way, Lokesh appears the second most powerful person even in the government, though his position as the second-in-command in TDP is of course unassailable.
Fresh from the momentum of restarting the works of the capital city, Amaravati — an event inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with much fanfare— the TDP is now shifting focus to the Mahanadu.
Since defeating Jagan Mohan Reddy in the 2024 elections, the party has been going great guns. Winning 135 out of the 144 seats it contested in the 175-member Assembly has given the TDP a formidable majority, unmatched in recent political history.
The decision to hold the Mahanadu in Rayalaseema — a region long dominated by the YSRCP — is a strategic move to consolidate gains and eliminate the relics of Jagan’s influence. In the 2024 elections, TDP, in alliance with Jana Sena and BJP, pulled off a remarkable electoral feat, securing 49 out of 52 seats in Rayalaseema, including seven of the 10 seats in Kadapa district alone.
Preparations are already underway in CK Dinne mandal of Kadapa, with party workers mobilising people for the public meeting to create an atmosphere of consolidation and renewal.
Naidu, known for his strategic vision, is keen on follow-up action post-election, ensuring voter retention and organisational stability. TDP secured 12 of 14 seats in Kurnool, 13 of 14 in Chittoor, and swept all 14 in Anantapur — clear indicators of a shifting political landscape in Rayalaseema.
The party had skipped the 2024 edition of Mahanadu due to its overlap with the general election schedule and uncertainty over the electoral outcome. With the landslide victory now behind them, the TDP is ready to celebrate and chart its next course.
The choice of Kadapa, the heartland of the YSRCP and the home turf of Jagan Mohan Reddy, is a calculated message of TDP’s growing dominance in what was once hostile territory. The event also serves to reinforce the party’s mandate and public support post-election.
During the Mahanadu, the TDP is expected to re-elect Chief Minister Naidu as its national president, affirming the party’s confidence in his leadership and vision for the state. Key resolutions to be discussed might include the formation of a special tribunal to investigate alleged irregularities during the YSRCP regime and the withdrawal of politically motivated cases filed against TDP workers.
At the Politburo meeting on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister K Atchen Naidu said it was resolved to address these issues, citing that many cases were fabricated to suppress opposition voices.
The party is also considering internal reforms — infusing younger leadership into key decision-making roles and introducing term limits for office bearers to promote generational change, with senior leaders transitioning to advisory positions.
The Mahanadu is expected to serve as the launchpad for TDP’s long-term governance strategy, addressing state priorities such as funding for the Polavaram Project and Amaravati’s continued development. It will also deliberate on finding ways to shore up finances and implement the promises it had made to the people ahead of elections, without which the electorate might not remain intact in favour of the TDP for long.
It will also aim to reinforce the party’s strength within the NDA coalition as Narendra Modi’s support for Amaravati and Polavaram is a sine qua non for the state.
Needless to say the 2025 Mahanadu in Kadapa stands as a defining moment for the TDP — to celebrate its dramatic comeback, reassert its dominance in rival territory, shape future leadership, and outline a strategic vision to meet the rising aspirations of the people at a time when the coffers of the state are touching the rock bottom.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
