The chief minister’s guesthouse in Undavalli, near Amaravati, can easily be mistaken for a luxury resort, if not for the presence of the men in khaki. Facing the Krishna river and surrounded by lush green fields, the rented property is a beehive of political activity on a weekend. Like on any other day, state minister Nara Lokesh’s day starts early with a one-on-one meeting with his boss—his father and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Owing to the polls, the meeting lasts longer than usual. As soon as Lokesh, who is also the general secretary of the Telugu Desam Party, steps out of the meeting, party leaders and workers clamour for his attention. Clearly, Lokesh has taken over the running of the party.
His involvement in politics began early. Chandrababu, on several occasions, has said that he, as convener of the United Front, did not take up the prime minister’s post in the late 1990s on Lokesh’s advice. “I must have been in class nine or ten then,” Lokesh tells THE WEEK. “The reason [behind my advice] was that he had to be here because, in the combined state, we were going through our own set of challenges. Hyderabad was just about taking off. I felt he was required more in Andhra Pradesh.”
Before entering politics, Lokesh headed the family business, Heritage Foods, and worked towards its expansion. He joined his father’s election team in 2012, became a member of the legislative council in 2017, and was made information technology, panchayat raj and rural development minister. A regular at economic summits, Lokesh has been trying his best to bring in investments to Andhra Pradesh. He, however, says he did not want to be a minister till 2019. “But, political circumstances, including the opposition’s criticism that I had become an extra-constitutional body, forced the party to take a decision,” he says. The reason he chose to be an MLC, and not an MLA, was that he did not want to displace any party leader. He is contesting his first election from the Mangalagiri assembly seat.
Lokesh has received his share of brickbats, too. His incoherent speeches have become fodder for memes on social media. He is also the favourite punching bag of political rivals, who target him whenever there is an issue involving the party or the state government. But, that does not demotivate him. “Born and brought up in a political family, you will get trained subconsciously to deal with personal allegations,” he says. “Politics everywhere is like this. You have to face it and fight it.”
When not watching movies or catching up on sleep, he loves to de-stress by spending time with his four-year-old son. He calls himself a “weekend father”, owing to his hectic schedule. Active on Twitter and Facebook, he keeps away from Instagram as he thinks it is a next generation medium.
For now, it is an acid test for Lokesh. “If we win, the credit will be Chandrababu Naidu’s,” he says. “If we lose, Lokesh will be held responsible for it.”
NARA LOKESH, 36
EDUCATION
MBA, Stanford University
POLITICAL LINKS
Grandfather N.T. Rama Rao was chief minister; father, N. Chandrababu \ Naidu, is the current chief minister