Of sons and fathers in two Telugu States

The competitive politics and governance between the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — N Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) — are all set to be passed on to the gen next as well.

The induction of Nara Lokesh, the 34-year-old-son of Naidu, into his State Cabinet has virtually signalled the intensification of comparative performance between Lokesh and 40-year-old KT Rama Rao (KTR), son of KCR, who has emerged the public face of the Telangana government.

That Lokesh was also allocated the portfolios of IT and Panchayati Raj — which KTR too holds — has left little to imagination.

Naidu and KCR, who were colleagues for long in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founded by thespian NT Rama Rao (NTR), fell apart to oppose each other during the struggle for Telangana.

Post the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, both have emerged strong leaders following their emphatic victories in the elections.

Both are spending energy in consolidation, with KCR meeting sweet success rather quickly. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi has dug in its heels, weakening the Opposition Cong (I), TDP and BJP considerably. On the other hand, Naidu faces stiff opposition from YSR Congress led by YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

That the CMs of the two Telugu States are grooming their sons in a succession plan is no secret.

The first round of skill-testing at leading the respective parties in electoral battles happened in January 2016 during the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Thereafter, the successful KTR moved higher and stronger with the addition of the Municipal Administration to his IT and Panchayati Raj portfolios. Lokesh was made the National General Secretary of the TDP.

KTR, a two-time legislator, has made a mark as a Minister holding key portfolios in the KCR government and with his conduct during meetings with global leaders and in various fora.

Lokesh will be beginning his innings both as a first-time Minister and MLC. He has his job cut out since AP faces a daunting challenge of attracting investments and building infrastructure.

In the case of KTR, the succession line seems all but clear with the 62-year-old KCR dropping enough hints.

The ascendancy of Lokesh has been rather gradual in the TDP and the State. Speculation was rife for some time that he will be given a key Ministry in the 66-year-old Chandrababu’s government.

It happened after he got elected to the Legislative Council and Naidu undertook an expansion-cum-restructure of his team.

Both sons are foreign-educated and hav picked up some work experience. Lokesh studied at the Carnegie Mellon University, obtained a degree from the Stanford University, and did a brief stint with the World Bank.

KTR, in contrast, did an MBA in marketing from the University of New York and worked for 5-6 years.

For Lokesh, the businessman-politician, the road ahead is tough and challenging.

His elevation has raised high expectations among the cadres, but will involve testing times for his political skills. Just before his entry into the Ministry, Lokesh courted controversy with the declaration of assets worth a whopping ₹330 crore.

The disclosure was mandatory before the MLC election and he said a major part was the value of the shares he holds in Heritage Foods..

Lokesh is definitely not wanting in his political lineage and business inheritance. He is the grandson of NTR and son-in-law of N Balakrishna, TDP legislator and Telugu filmstar. Heritage Foods, a family enterprise, of which he is the MD, is run by his mother Bhuvaneswari and wife Brahmani, also a Stanford graduate.

However, the stockily built young scion of the Nara/Tarakarama family falls short as an engaging and powerful public speaker compared with KTR.

Similarly, his grass-root work in building the TDP cadres and schemes on healthcare and education run through the NTR Trust have remained a bit low key in the light of the big splash his counterpart minister makes in the media.

Die-hard TDP leaders believe he is the upcoming star, who is building the party painstakingly while Chandrababu is focussed on turning AP into an economic and investment powerhouse and gives shape to Amaravati as a modern capital city.