Lokesh, beware of the fast lane...

The seemingly innocuous appointment of Nara Lokesh as the party coordinator for the activist welfare fund actually signals the advent of an alternative power centre in the Telugu Desam. 

The appointment of Lokesh to a party post away from the position of power is typical Chandrababu way of making his son travel on the fast lane of politics avoiding the creeky lanes of internal competition and internecine rivalry. At least on the face of it, Lokesh would be away from the portals of power and this insulates him from the likely failures of TDP government. An unscathed Lokesh would be positioned as the vanguard of the 2019 electoral battle. This position will also offer Lokesh all the advantages of an extra-constitutional authority - all power and no responsibility whatsoever. 

Also, those seniors who got ministerial positions would be busy with the rough and tumble of administration and those without positions of power would be sulking and scheming. This would enable Lokesh to take control of the organisation by 2019. 

By 2019, most of the first generation TDP leaders would be out of politics mainly on account of age and redundancy, Lokesh would become unquestioned leader. 

His position as welfare fund coordinator would help him connect with the rank and file of the party and the funders in equal measure. This will help him emerge as the only leader with state-wide appeal in the TDP. 

But this glorious opportunity may also backfire for Lokesh. This model of advisory position and organisational role for heir apparent has been tried once in the past with disastrous effects. The heir's holier than though attitude could finally boomerang as it did in the case of a 44-year-old young man with Gandhi surname.

-Raka@Sakshipost