Andhra Politics Turned Upside Down With The Detention Of Chandrababu Naidu

Chandrababu Naidu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party, was detained on Saturday and sentenced to 14 days in judicial prison by an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court. Chandrababu Naidu was taken to Rajamahendravaram’s Central Prison. The TDP leader is charged in the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Scam, a multimillion dollar case of corruption.

Special allowance for the  leader

The politician in his nineties will receive home-cooked meals, prescription medication, and a dedicated room, among other perks. In light of the alleged threat to his life, the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh has also been given a separate residence inside the jail. He is a security protectee of the Z-plus level.

Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh followed his father to the prison gates and waited outside for some time before leaving. The TDP’s jabs at YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, for being a state chief on bail prior to the assembly elections appear to have backfired on Chandrababu Naidu.

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Who is likely to lead TDP, if not for Chandrababu Naidu?

Heavy hitters in the Telegu Desam Party, such former education minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and party president Atchen Naidu of the Andhra unit, have been tarred and feathered by the case. Can the TDP maintain its allure in front of the key elections, though, with either Atchen Naidu or Ganta Srinivasa Rao?

Additionally, Nara Lokesh, the TDP general secretary and son of Chandrababu Naidu, is probably going to be subject to an investigation in the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development corruption issue. The TDP would lose its shine in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, which are due for later this year.

Additionally, it would cause uncertainty within the ranks as concerns over the TDP’s ability to mount a comeback in Andhra Pradesh without Chandrababu Naidu would surface. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the former chief minister is currently housed in Rajamahendravaram Central Prison, the Telegu Desam Party can elect to keep Naidu as their leader. To counter this, the TDP is attempting to repeat its 2003 strategy, in which Naidu utilized the Naxalite attack on himself as a campaign issue but ultimately lost the election to the YS Rajasekhara Reddy-led Congress.