Who is Naidu?

Hyderabad: 69-year-old Nara Chandrababu Naidu, president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is one of the most familiar political faces of southern India. He was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 1995 till 2004 and also the first chief minister of divided Andhra Pradesh from 2014 till this year.

He earned a global reputation as “CEO” and good administrator when he placed Hyderabad on the global map as an IT hub and attracted big names such as Microsoft to the city.

On the political side his career was marked by intense rivalry with Congress leader YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Though both of them had started their politics in Congress in 1970s, they ended up as bitter rivals as Naidu joined his father-in-law NT Rama Rao’s TDP and eventually became chief minister. YSR was leader of the opposition against Naidu and he too became chief minister in 2004 as the leader of Congress.

The rule of both the leaders was marked by violence against their rivals.

After YSR’s death the political mantle fell on his son YS Jaganmohan Reddy who also inherited the bitter rivalry. Attacks on TDP supporters increased after Jagan led his regional YSR Congress to power in the state earlier this year.

Current political violence unleashed under the rule of YSR’s son Jagan led government against the TDP is being seen as continuation of the three-decade long rivalry.