In the race to be the "most important person" in the state, the two leaders are stepping on each other's toes, albeit, unobtrusively.
Published Jan 04, 2025 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 08, 2025 | 12:46 PM
Pawan Kalyan, Chandrababu Naidu and Nara Lokesh
In the race to be the “most important person” in the state, the two leaders are stepping on each other’s toes, albeit, unobtrusively.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Information Technology and Human Resources Minister Nara Lokesh are seemingly in a competition to position themselves as the next prominent leader in the state government after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
In the race to be the “most important person” in the state, the two leaders are stepping on each other’s toes, albeit, unobtrusively.
Even though Pawan Kalyan, as per the pecking order, should be the number two as he happens to be Naidu’s deputy, it’s Lokesh who is calling the shots as second-in-command and is widely regarded as the heir apparent to the “kingdom” of Andhra Pradesh.
Besides the rock-like support from his father, Lokesh has five years of experience as a minister when the TDP was in power between 2014 and 2019.
He added an additional layer — the ability to mix with people — to his leadership qualities when he organised a statewide padayatra ahead of the Assembly elections in 2024. Apart from that, he played a crucial role in coordinating the party activities when Naidu was in jail.
In contrast to the swashbuckling image of Pawan Kalyan, Lokesh is trying to position himself as a leader who thinks before acting. Before making any decision, he initially views it from the prism of his past experience.
“Lokesh seems to be keen on the old saying that slow and steady wins the race,” a former TDP minister pointed out. The latest appointment of Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Secretary may also be seen as a strategic push by Lokesh. The new CS, Vijayanand, who superseded many seniors, was clearly the pick of Lokesh.
After assuming the charge as a minister, Lokesh focused more on administration and attracting investments to the State, starved as it was of job-creating industries. He worked on the new industrial and energy policy and revived the Economic Development Board (the front face for investments). Lokesh was also instrumental in closing investment deals with Arcelor Mittal and Reliance and played a key role in landing foreign investments from firms like Google and HCL Tech. He has also embarked on a project to develop government schools on par with corporate educational institutions.
However, the TDP cadres are not very happy with him for soft-pedalling the issue of taking action against those whose names he had included in his “infamous” red book.
In the campaign ahead of the recent Assembly elections, Lokesh used to say that all those whose names were included in the red book would have to face trial for the atrocities they had committed. However, after coming to power, he is seen as going slow.
“The present government is not taking action even against those who murdered TDP and Jana Sena workers. If we ask the TDP leaders, the answer is that any action against such elements would present a picture that law and order is spinning out of control which might put off prospective investors,” a TDP MLA from East Godavari told South First.
TDP media coordinator Bolla Satish Babu said: “Lokesh is now focusing on landing investments for the state. Once they are on course, he will focus on politics in the upcoming months.”
On the other hand, Pawan Kalyan, who has been active in public life with his filmy capers during the last 10 years, is also trying to make his presence felt. To convert his fandom into a political powerhouse, he founded the Jana Sena party ahead of the general elections in 2014, but did not succeed. Jana Sena fought the 2019 Assembly elections alone, without making any alliance with the TDP. It came a cropper, winning only one seat, the most humiliating defeat for Pawan Kalyan, but he didn’t give up.
As elections drew closer in 2024, Pawan Kalyan decided to join hands with not only Naidu but also bring on board the BJP which had been opposing Naidu till then. Pawan Kalyan stood out as the architect of the TDP-Jana-Sena-BJP alliance that dealt a mortal blow to the YSRCP. Even though he settled for less and contested only 21 Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats, Pawan Kalyan won all of them, registering a 100 percent strike rate.
It seems like Pawan Kalyan is of the view that, after Naidu, he is the most deserving person to hold the state’s top position since he helped the TDP log a scorching victory in 2024. He believes his initiative of aiding TDP, when Naidu was in jail and the party was on a thin wicket, made him the most eligible to be the next leader-in-waiting.
Since June last year, after being appointed the deputy chief minister, Pawan Kalyan has been making a conscientious effort to appear as the Robin to Naidu’s Batman.
However, Pawan Kalyan has been maintaining publicly that he wants Chandrababu Naidu to remain the chief minister for the next 10 years and take the impoverished state on the road to development. If Naidu continues as the chief minister for the next 10 years he will be about 84 years of age. Jana Sena cadres want Pawan to step into Naidu’s shoes but the TDP leaders obviously want Lokesh to take over the mantle from his father.
One TDP leader, also the chairman of a state-owned corporation, told South First: “Pawan Kalyan is sending out signals that after Naidu hangs up his boots and retires from politics, he wants to take over the mantle.”
Jana Sena believes that Pawan Kalyan has taken the right step when he said he wanted Naidu to remain the chief minister for the next 10 years. By saying so, he might be trying to ingratiate himself with the TDP cadres for supporting Chandrababu Naidu.
Pawan Kalyan’s actions suggest that he is trying to get a grip on the administration of his portfolios and at the same time not losing any opportunity to espouse a case when necessary, taking full advantage of his filmy glamour.
His campaign for sanatana dharma, an indignant reaction to the allegations of the use of ghee with animal fat in the making of sacred Tirumala laddu prasadam when YSRCP was in power, presented him in a totally different avatar. His high-octane speech on the need for the protection of sanatana dharma made him stand apart as a leader who could communicate his thoughts with conviction, even though some people brushed it aside as theatrical rhetoric.
Later, he attacked his government when the home department was found to be cutting too much slack in dealing with the YSRCP leaders who posted obscene content on social media targeting his family members, those of Chandrababu Naidu and Home Minister V Anita herself.
In another filmy antic, a temptation that he finds hard to get rid of, Pawan Kalyan raided a ship on the high seas off the Kakinada coast and ordered its seizure after finding Public Distribution System (PDS) rice on it, intended to smuggle to African countries. He made searches in the port and then reached the ship, travelling by boat.
“The way Pawan Kalyan is moving forward makes one wonder if Jana Sena has become the “B team” of BJP. His antics on religion and the assertion that one should rise above caste considerations make one suspect his intentions,” Indian Political Research and Analysis (RISE) CMD Praveen Pullata said.
“It is quite possible that BJP would present Pawan Kalyan as its man. If push comes to shove, the TDP also would turn aggressive and grapple with the challenge. But it is too premature now to predict how the politics in the state would pan out in the future,” he said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
