Telugu Desam Party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is in a piquant position on inducting his son Lokesh Naidu into the State Cabinet.
While Naidu has been indirectly promoting his son by getting statements from his loyalists demanding inclusion of Lokesh into the Cabinet, he has also been under pressure as to how he should do it.
There are two options: first, Lokesh can be made an MLC or MLA. The first option is a little easier, because he can ask one of his party MLCs elected under MLAs’ quota resign and get Lokesh elected in his place. Already one MLC Buddha Venkanna came forward to quit his post for the sake of Lokesh.
The second option is to get Lokesh elected as an MLA, which is a better option as it would mean Lokesh had the support of the people. For that, one of the TDP MLAs should sacrifice his post.
Indications are that Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad might resign to enable Lokesh contest from the seat. This is a bit risky as the constituency is closer to the new capital of Amaravati and the voters are divided with the government acquiring their lands for the capital.
If Lokesh wins, it will make things easy for Naidu; and if he loses, Naidu’s image will go down the drain.
In any case, if Lokesh wants to make it big in politics, he has to become an MLA first. If he gets into the cabinet through backdoor methods, it would further strengthen the allegations that Naidu is promoting his son despite lack of people’s support and that Lokesh is, indeed, an extra constitutional authority!
