Telugu Desam to elevate Nara Lokesh

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam leader Nara Lokesh is slated to be appointed as general-secretary and elevated to the politburo at Mahanadu, the party’s annual conclave that is scheduled to be held at Vijayawada.

The Mahanadu generally authorises the party chief to select the state party executive committee and the presidents of AP and Telangana. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to announce Mr Lokesh as general-secretary and politburo member.

Some TD leaders want Mr Lokesh to be made working president. However, there is no such position in the TD constitution. The same was stated two years ago when some party leaders pressured Mr Naidu to appoint actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna as working president.

To appoint a working president, the TD’s constitution has to be amended, and, sources revealed, Mr Naidu is not in a mood for that.

The TD leadership wants Mr Lokesh to have a grip on the party by the elections in 2019. In the recent elections Mr Lokesh campaigned in some districts and he will be deployed extensively in both TS and AP the next time.

The leadership has tasked Mr Lokesh with strengthening the party in Telangana, and he is expected to tour the state soon. His first priority in Telangana would be to enrol more members in the party.

Mr Lokesh has overseen the enrolment of more than 50 lakh members in both AP and TS. However, only about five lakh of this have come from Telangana, and Mr Lokesh is focusing on this aspect.

Mr Lokesh is currently looking after the welfare of party activists and is meeting the party rank and file from TS and AP at the party headquarters NTR Trust Bhavan. Party seniors and legislators are also meeting him and discussing organisation matters.

Mr Lokesh recently attended an official meeting, called by Mr Naidu, with party MLAs and leaders at Lake View guesthouse.

In some ways, he will be following in the footsteps of his father. Mr Naidu was made general secretary when he joined the party, and he first took up organisation matters and strengthening the TD in the districts.