Nara Lokesh, TDP’s second in command, appears to be shouldering too big a responsibility for his age. With all familiar faces gone from the party in Hyderabad, TDP Supremo Chandrababu Naidu must have thought it is the right opportunity for his son Lokesh to prove his management skill learnt and sharpened in Stanford Business School, US in setting the T-TDP house in order. Lokesh is made in-charge of the party in GHMC elections. As national president of the party, Naidu might have thought, campaigning in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections is too local an affair for him. To promote somebody else, there is no one around. So, faced with Hobson’s choice Naidu entrusted the job of leading the party in ensuing GHMC elections with his son Lokesh Naidu.

So far so good. But Lokesh should conduct himself in such a way that his presence should instill confidence among the leaders and party workers. One should not forget the ground realities and make tall claims that do not suit his age and experience. Lokesh is said to have held his second round meeting with GHMC leaders to evolve the strategy for the GHMC elections. In the meeting, he told the local satraps of GHMC area that Telugu Desam party is going to bag 100 divisions out of 150 division in the GHMC area. If the BJP’s tally is added it would cross 115 to 120. This means, TRS and MIM joint tally would not be more than 30. Given the party’s predicament in Hyderabad, where barring one or two, all its MLAs had switched over to TRS, such claims look ludicrous. Because, the party lost the GHMC more than 12 years ago. Between then and now many tumultuous events like the division of Andhra Pradesh took place. In the aftermath, even his father could not muster courage to stay put in Hyderabad for the ten-year period of joint capital backed by AP Reorganization Act-2014

Even to generate hope among the TDP cadre, the figure is too big to be talked about.
Before launching the campaign to win 100 seats, Lokesh should first reveal his poll plank for GHMC elections. Can he talk of TRS government’s failure and ask the Seemandhra people to defeat TRS in Hyderabad in the backdrop of flourishing bonhomie between his father and T-chief minister KCR. Unless a villain is made out of KCR and his government, Lokesh is unlikely to draw voter’s attention in Hyderabad now.

Once known for pungent tweets against KCR and KTR, Lokesh is a mellowed man now. He stopped his sarcastic tweets on TRS leaders. Interestingly this coincides with Naidu extending invite to KCR to attend the Amaravati foundation laying ceremony as a special guest. The plaque at Amarvati bears testimony to this change in Naidu-KCR relations. GHMC is going to be a real test for the political acumen of rising son of ‘sun rise state’.