Nara Lokesh on Wednesday, April 29, took oath as the National Working President of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
TDP National President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, administered oath to members of the new executive at the party headquarters at Mangalagiri.
Chandrababu Naidu administered the oath of office to the Politburo, as well as the National and State committees.
The new bodies were announced on April 15. For the first time in the TDP’s history, the party has appointed a National Working President.
MLA Palla Srinivas has been appointed as the party’s state president. The TDP has also appointed its first-ever woman national general secretary, MP Dr Byreddy Shabari. She will serve alongside Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Rajesh Kilaru as national general secretaries.
Lokesh, who handles the portfolio of human resources development, information technology and electronics, is already seen as the heir-apparent of Chandrababu Naidu and his appointment as National Working President has sent a message that the 43-year-old will be the political successor of the 76-year-old Naidu.
His promotion came nearly two years after the TDP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in the state with a landslide majority.
Senior leaders Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary continue to hold pivotal responsibilities, maintained throughout the tenures of NT Rama Rao (NTR) and Chandrababu as party presidents.
Chandrababu Naidu’s brother-in-law, actor and party MLA, N Balakrishna, has also been retained as politburo member. Balakrishna, son of late NTR, is also the father-in-law of Lokesh.
Before the swearing-in, Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh and other leaders paid tributes to the party's founding president, NTR.
The newly constituted organisational structure includes a 29-member Politburo, a 31-member National Committee, and a 185-member State Committee. The committees have been formed after extensive deliberations, factoring in social, regional, and political balance, while keeping long-term goals, including the 2029 elections and potential constituency reorganisation, in mind.
Of the 185 members in the State Committee, 122 belong to weaker sections.
Representation includes 77 members from Backwards Classes, 25 from Scheduled Castes, 7 from Scheduled Tribes, and 13 from minority communities.
The percentage-wise representation in the new committees is: BC – 40 per cent, SC – 25 per cent, ST – 3.8 per cent, and minorities – 7 per cent.
For the first time, a Mandal Party President and a Cluster In-charge, Gantyada Sridevi and Guttikonda Dhanunjay, have been inducted directly into the Politburo.