Chandrababu Naidu – Divided Andhra's ambitious 'CEO'

Kamna Arora

Nara Chandrababu Naidu has seen it all. There was a time when he was among the most politicians in the country, the “CEO” of Andhra Pradesh, his wish was command for the NDA government.

But much water has flown down the Godavari since then. Godavari is now divided between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Naidu is struggling to stay relevant.

The president of the Telugu Desam Party, has twice been the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004, he now hopes to be chief minister of the truncated Andhra Pradesh.

Born on April 20, 1950, began his political career under his father-in-law, NT Rama Rao and rose to take as party president and later chief minister in 1994. The official website of TDP says: "In 1995, he (Naidu) staged a family and party coup and eased out NTR to save the party from vested interests." He was sworn in as the chief minister for a second term on October 11, 1999.

His transformation from his stand of “no free lunches” during his rule to the electoral promise of free colour TVs and money to poor and middle class families has been astounding. Known as a die-hard reformer, Naidu seems to have learnt from his party’s defeat in the last polls.

Naidu, the architect of the United Front government after the 1996 elections, surprised everyone by joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1998 and continued to play kingmaker till 2004. However, the defeat in 2004 dashed his hopes of playing a dominant role in national politics. The TDP managed to win only five out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. He then severed his ties with BJP and grew closer to the Left parties.

In a bid to revive his political fortunes, the Telugu Desam Party president favours the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh "in a judicious manner with everybody's consent". He seeks justice for Seemandhra and Telangana and insists on consensus on the issue. He refuses to give a clear answer on his stand on Telangana, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, however, accuses Congress of playing dirty politics on the issue.

He has now endeared himself to Narendra Modi in the hope that the BJP's support will help him trounce his principal opponent Jaganmohan Reddy.

If he manages to net a decent number of seats, Chandrababu may once again become a key player in Delhi.

Reports suggest that the BJP has promised him the post of NDA convenor. Naidu's golden time may return soon...