This is not a political epitaph or obituary of Nara Chandrababu Naidu or his Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Not yet.
After a four-decade autobahn-like cruise — albeit with a few potholes that he has deftly navigated — the road ahead seems to be a bumpy one for this shrewd politician who has seen more crests than troughs. But this time, the trough appears to be a deep gorge.
Here’s why. First, with just 23 seats, ‘Team Naidu’ is too small to offer even a semblance of opposition to the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, leader of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Second, Mr. Naidu’s TDP — a party he recast and remodelled, from the original version founded by his father-in-law and iconic Telugu film hero Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, after a revolt — has no ‘No. 2’ by design. What was a tactical move taken almost a quarter century ago became a rule, and has now turned into the proverbial albatross around Mr. Naidu’s neck.
However, Mr. Naidu is known to bounce back. The self-styled CEO in the undivided Andhra Pradesh had a nine-year reign in the zenith of his career — he was even a kingmaker during the coalition politics-era of the 1990s at the national level. Defeated in 2004 by his friend-turned-foe Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) of the Congress, Mr. Naidu had to be content being the Leader of the Opposition. Nonetheless, he rode back to power in the residual Andhra Pradesh after a decade’s wait, aided by a mix of political factors — anger among anti-Congress Andhra Pradesh voters peeved at the State’s bifurcation; an almost non-existent BJP; and a YSRCP still in its fledgling state.
Almost five years later, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy has the State’s reins. His campaign promise of the return of Rajanna Rajyam (YSR’s rule, marked by hugely popular welfare policies) with his Navaratnalu (nine jewels) covering all sections of the society is what voters bought into. Within days of assuming office, he announced ‘Rythu Bharosa’, a direct payment scheme covering both landed and tenant farmers and more than tripled the honorarium for thousands of Aasha health workers from ₹3, 000 per month to ₹10,000 per month. Further, he has hiked old-age pensions and provided employment to 1.6 lakh village volunteers to oversee corruption-free delivery of welfare schemes. All these constitute the elements of a welfare state.
In this difficult-to-emulate scenario, a resurgence of Mr. Naidu appears distant. The reason? Though in sound health, he is 69. His heir apparent — son Nara Lokesh — turned out to be a huge disappointment. Further, there’s no other acceptable leader in the TDP to take the party forward as he never let anyone grow, a factor endemic in many one-man driven parties. So, Mr. Naidu and TDP have little chance of a third innings in the near future.
The writer is Editorial Consultant, The Hindu, based in Hyderabad
