Amid the intense debate that Nara Lokesh Babu is going to be inducted into his father’s cabinet, another interesting debate is taking place among the TDP circles. Inducting Jr Naidu into cabinet is not a big deal. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu can anoint him minister at the snap of the finger and nobody would dare grumble against it.
But the latest talk is not about whether Lokesh would be inducted into cabinet or not or what portfolio he would be entrusted with or what influence he would wield in the cabinet. The curious talk is about how he wound become the legislator. Would he choose the safe path of Legislative Council to become an MLC or would he enter the Assembly by winning a byelection with huge or record margin? Where would he like to contest from Rayalaseema or Amaravati Capial region or Kapu Nadu of East and West Godvari districts?
While some MLAs want Lokesh to enter the Assembly heroically by winning the election. ” Chief Minister’s son should not choose to enter the cabinet through Council, which is meant for elders and for those who can’t face the elections. Lokesh is a young man and should enter electoral fray first . He should emerge victorious in election before becoming minister. He should send across a strong message that he is more leader of independent stature rather than simply the son of chief minister Naidu,” an ardent TDP leader opined. He was opposed to the idea of Lokesh becoming MLC to become a minister.
He loves to draw a parallel between Lokesh and KT Ramarao, son of Telangana chief minister K Chandraseekhar Rao. ” See KTR contested the elections from Sircilla and won with huge majority. Lokesh should also contest elections and win. There will be six months time to become a member of either houses. People will see him as minister and vote for him,” he said adding that he arangetram into electoral politics should not be done without a fight.
He suggested that Lokesh should contest from East or West Godavari districts and win from the Kapu Nadu of the state which would be a strong message to Kapus and Pawan Kalyan. According to sources, five to six MLAs, from Guntur, Krishna and Godavari districts, are ready to sacrifice their constituency to facilitate Lokesh election.
But, there is another school that advocates Council route as the best bet for Lokesh babu. They are not without substance. They want Lokesh not to take chances. ” Election is a gamble. We should not take chances. In case there is any mishap, it would leave an indelible scar on the political career of the boy. He can enter the Upper House and prove his mettle as a ministers. We should not look down on the Council,” he opined.
A senior TDP MLA, however, said if a decision was announced to take Lokesh into cabinet, Naidu prefers a byelection for him from a strong constituency from Amaravati Area. Many are willing to vacate their seat of Lokesh, he said.
In the meantime, senior party leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy welcomed the idea of Lokesh joining the cabinet.” Youmen like Lokesh should come forward and take lead,” he said.
