A Gift to His Father: Nara Lokesh’s Hard Work Behind NDA’s Municipal Victory

Nara Lokesh and Chandrababu Naidu's Municipal Election Victory

For Chandrababu Naidu, the Municipal Election results carry special significance. His son Nara Lokesh was closely involved in the entire exercise, from seat-sharing discussions and candidate selection to managing the election preparations until polling. While Naidu led the alliance, Lokesh took charge of much of the structural work. He was rarely seen in public during the days leading up to the elections. However, he was reportedly busy sorting out alliance arrangements, finalising candidates and ensuring that the party was ready for the challenge.

Getting the Alliance Together:

Bringing TDP, Jana Sena and BJP together for municipal elections was not an easy task. Each party had its own leaders and local interests to consider. Lokesh played an important role in the seat-sharing discussions. The priority was to keep the alliance together and ensure that local differences did not affect its electoral prospects. Candidate selection was another area that received considerable attention. Instead of depending only on established political families and senior leaders, the TDP gave opportunities to younger candidates, educated professionals and women.

The first list of 36 mayoral and municipal chairperson candidates included 19 women. As many as 22 candidates belonged to BC, SC, ST and minority communities. Sixteen candidates were below 45 years of age. The second list continued the same approach. Of the 22 candidates announced, 18 were women. This was a noticeable change in the party’s approach to local elections. By bringing in younger and fresh faces, the TDP tried to give a new generation an opportunity in urban politics.

From Nominations to Polling:

The challenges did not end with seat-sharing and candidate selection. There were differences over ward allocations and dissatisfaction among some local leaders. Keeping these issues from turning into bigger problems required constant coordination. Lokesh was reportedly involved in monitoring the election preparations. Booth-level arrangements, local feedback, candidate coordination and communication between alliance partners were all part of the exercise.

His absence from public appearances for nearly ten days before the election notification attracted considerable attention. However, that period was reportedly spent on preparing the party organisation for the elections. The focus was on getting things right at the ground level rather than making public appearances. From finalising candidates to managing local coordination, the election required attention at every stage.

The Results Tell the Story:

The November 3 results showed the scale of the NDA’s performance. According to the counting-day figures, TDP won in 10 of the 13 municipal corporations. Jana Sena accounted for two and YSRCP for one. The alliance also performed strongly in municipalities. TDP won all 32 wards in Kuppam. The NDA secured all 36 wards in Macherla and won 38 of 44 wards in Yemmiganur.

Pulivendula was another significant result. The NDA won 37 of the 40 wards, with TDP securing 34. The result attracted particular attention because Pulivendula is the Assembly constituency represented by YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. These results across different regions reflected the alliance’s performance and the importance of coordination between its partners.

A Special Moment for Chandrababu:

The NDA’s victory was a collective effort. Chandrababu Naidu provided the overall leadership, while ministers, district leaders, Jana Sena, BJP and thousands of party workers contributed to the campaign. However, Lokesh’s contribution to the organisational side deserves special mention. He was involved from the seat-sharing stage and candidate selection through the nomination process and polling arrangements.

Lokesh has been taking on greater responsibilities within the TDP. This election allowed him to demonstrate his organisational abilities on a larger scale. For Chandrababu Naidu, who has spent decades building the TDP, seeing his son handle such an important election exercise and contribute to the alliance’s success is certainly a proud moment.

The municipal victory is a collective achievement, but Lokesh has his own share of credit. From bringing alliance partners together to selecting candidates and managing the election process, he played an important role throughout. For Chandrababu Naidu, this victory is also a special gift from his son.