Amaravati: Chandrababu Naidu returns as a major player in national politics

Amaravati: Nara Chandrababu Naidu is set to play his favourite role again – kingmaker in national politics. After a gap of two decades, the veteran politician is back in the media spotlight as his Telugu Desam Party (TDP)’s support has become crucial for the BJP to come to power for a third time. Chandrababu Naidu’s old criticisms of Modi have again surfaced online. Five years after losing power with a crushing defeat to the YSR Congress Party and facing the biggest crisis of his political career, Naidu has emerged like a phoenix. The 74-year-old Naidu is now set to play the role of kingmaker, a role he missed in 2014 as the BJP won a majority on its own. Set to become chief minister for the fourth time after a massive victory in the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, the astute politician is also keen to play a key role in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. With 16 MPs, the TDP along with the Janata Dal (United) is anchoring the coalition government. The TDP chief, known for his hard bargaining skills, may push for some key ministerial posts and Special Category Status (SCS) for his state as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Political analysts say the role has perhaps not come at a better time for Naidu, as the cash-strapped state is in dire need of the Centre’s help to get its finances back on track, implement poll promises made by the TDP, fulfil the unfulfilled target of making Amaravati the state capital and complete the Polavaram project, considered the lifeline of the state. It is also significant that with 135 seats in the 175-member state assembly, Naidu is not dependent on his allies Jana Sena and the BJP for the survival of his government in the state.

This will give him enough space to pressurise the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on state-specific issues. After suffering the worst ever electoral defeat in 2019, Naidu had lost relevance in national politics. Though he was later keen to mend ties with the BJP, the BJP was reluctant to trust him and reopen doors it had ‘permanently’ closed. However, Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan’s alliance with the TDP and the changing political dynamics in Andhra Pradesh forced the BJP to join hands with him at the last minute. Riding on the anti-incumbency wave, the alliance almost wiped out the YSRCP, whose numbers in the Assembly fell from 151 to 11. The alliance won 21 of the 164 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats. It was a dramatic bounce back for Naidu, who was facing political uncertainty a few months after he was arrested and jailed in the Skill Development Corporation scam. He spent 52 days in jail, during which the CID filed more cases against him on corruption charges during the TDP’s rule between 2014 and 2019.

Six months after coming out of Rajahmundry jail, Naidu swept to power, inflicting a humiliating defeat on Jagan Mohan Reddy. Naidu was in the political limelight ever since he became the chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh in 1995 after leading a revolt against his father-in-law and TDP founder NT Rama Rao (NTR). After NTR’s sudden demise in January 1996, Naidu consolidated his position and successfully inherited NTR’s political legacy. Known as a poster boy of the new economic reforms, a reformist and tech-savvy leader, he mastered the skill of doing business with any formation at the Centre, regardless of its ideology. His role in national politics began in 1996 as the convener of the United Front, when he brought together regional parties to shore up a third option government. In 1999, he played a similar role for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Many saw him as a shrewd politician and some labelled him an opportunist, as he apparently rode the ‘Vajpayee wave’ to forge an alliance with the BJP. After losing power to his arch-rival YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) in 2004 after a record nine-year tenure as chief minister, Naidu admitted that his priorities were misbalanced, leading to the neglect of agriculture. The TDP supremo failed to make a comeback in 2009 as the Congress retained power. The emergence of Narendra Modi as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2014 gave Naidu a chance to revive his political fortunes. He not only joined the NDA, but by campaigning with Narendra Modi and with the support of Pawan Kalyan, he managed to come to power in a small state like Andhra Pradesh. People liked him as he was widely credited with putting Hyderabad on the global IT map. As a leader who always played the role of kingmaker, Naidu was feeling uncomfortable in the new government where PM Modi had an absolute majority. Despite facing challenges like shortage of capital and poor financial condition of the state after the bifurcation, he had no choice but to quietly accept whatever was offered.