Will Lokesh Emerge As AP's Akhilesh?

 TDPleaders hope so but Naidu just smiles at the comparison


Hyderabad: Will it be the turn of Nara Lokesh in Andhra Pradesh to ascend to power after the stupendous success of Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh? A large number of Telugu Desam leaders are comparing Lokesh, the lone son of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, with Akhilesh. Though the TDP had thought that Mulayam Singh Yadav would be the next chief minister of UP, the Samajwadi Party legislature party selected his young son for the post.
Now, the TDP leaders are of the opinion that the gen-next in TDP will be Nara Lokesh. The leadership is struggling to infuse young blood into the 30-year-old party and is eagerly waiting for the gen-next leader to emerge.
Though Lokesh's entry into politics seems imminent, it will take some more time for him to take the plunge as he is busy looking after Heritage Foods, his family's business concern.
Mulayam Singh Yadav is 72 but Naidu is only 62, and hale and hearty. Naidu  is nursing the ambition to become chief minister again and, at the same time, play a pivotal role in national politics by reviving the non-Congress and non-BJP third front.
When journalists told Naidu recently that TDP leaders were comparing his son  with Mulayam's, he just smiled and moved away without giving a reply.
Lokesh's entry into politics began in 2009 elections when he acted as his father's poll campaigning manager in Kuppam. He camped there for seven days  managing things for his father. During electioneering Lokesh wished that more and more youngsters join politics to root out corruption.
At last year's Mahanadu, TDP's annual conclave, a huge number of flexies and cutouts of Lokesh were erected hailing his leadership. That upset NTR Jr's fans in the party. Nipping the trouble in the bud, Naidu ordered removal of the flexies of his family members.
But, Naidu will utilise the services of Nandamuri Balakrishna and make him be the star campaigner for TDP in the 2014 general election. Lokesh's services will be used for Kuppam. Though there is talk that Lokesh Naidu will contest the Assembly election from Chandragiri in 2014, the senior Naidu dismissed the talk.
For the time being, Lokesh's political activities will be limited to Kuppam and will slowly emerge as a leader in his own right, analysts say. Though no TDP leader has objected to the entry of Lokesh into politics, his rise will be slow so that no senior leader should feel that Lokesh has been thrust on them suddenly.
For his part, Lokesh is not averse to politics completely and he occasionally chipped in to help his father. It was basing on Lokesh' idea that the TDP chief had announced the cash transfer scheme (CST) during the 2009 elections. The CST will be the main election plank of the party in the 2014 elections too. Naidu always told his critics that he provided his son the best education and groomed him as a good citizen.


Advantages
* Being son of Naidu and grandson of NTR
* MBA graduation from Stanford University
* Study of governance in various countries
* Idea of Cash Transfer Scheme
* Experience in poll management at Kuppam

Disadvantages
* Yet-to-be-proved oratory skills
* Rivalry with NTR Jr in succession war
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