Nara Chandrababu Naidu hailed from a non-political background. Early in his life, he showed enormous interest in enabling social and political changes for the greater good. It was this urge that led him to take the plunge into politics.

He was a minister at an young age of 28 in T Anjaiah’s cabinet. As NTR’s TDP swept across the state in 1983 elections, he lost from Chandragiri. After NTR inducted him into TDP, Naidu did not seek any power or position either in the government or in the party. 

He devoted himself to modernise the party and strengthen the TDP base. He organised training camps and computerised the data of the party workers, even before computers became known to the public.

His skills at managing crisis came to the fore during the undemocratic ouster of NTR as Chief Minister in 1984. Naidu played a key role in overcoming what is known as the ‘August Crisis’ and in the restoration of the TDP government subsequently.

After he took over the TDP following dissensions within the party in 1995, Chandrababu Naidu transformed himself into a progressive Chief Minister and a modern-day politician. 

He brought about a tectonic shift in the way politicians were perceived through his refreshingly different approach to governance and development.

His role in transforming the combined state of Andhra Pradesh from a backward, agriculture-based state to a pulsating centre for information technology and services industry is now globally known.

He was probably the only Chief Minister who won the elections on the plank of economic reforms, which were always painful to the people in the short run.

However, a prolonged and sustained campaign of calumny and reckless offers of freebies led to his defeat in the 2004 elections. The entry of Praja Rajyam Party led to a split in anti-government vote, leading to another loss for the TDP in 2009 elections. But Naidu was able to remain not only relevant but also strong during this prolonged opposition stint.

Many observers are of the opinion that the combined Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated ahead of 2014 elections with a view to weaken the TDP in Telugu states and Chandrababu Naidu in particular.

The unscientific division of the state led to a financially unviable Andhra Pradesh. Once again people saw in Naidu an experienced leader who could overcome the adversity and bring the residual state back on track.

Indeed, the new state of Andhra Pradesh became the talk of the country between 2014-2019. The state attracted major industries and was being seen as the hub of fintec, medtech, blockchain and other emerging technologies in the country.

The annual GDP growth during this period was phenomenol and the state stood first on various parameters including the Ease of Doing Business. While Vizag in North Andhra was emerging as the hub of new technologies and start-ups, Tirupati in Rayalaseema emerged as the destination for electronoc gadgets including mobile phones. The arrival of Kia Motors changed the face of perennially drought-prone Anantapur. 

But the defeat in 2019 polls dealt a blow to the develoment of the state. Chandrababu Naidu lost power, but the state lost a once-in-a-life opportuntiy to transform into a prosperous and happening AP. The propaganda machine unleashed by the unscrupulous agents of YSRCP has been attributed by observers to the shocking defeat of the TDP.

Having served as Chief Minister of the united Andhra Pradesh for 9.5 years and another five years for the residual state, Chandrababu Naidu could have easily taken a break from the deteriorating public life. But being not one to accept defeat, he prepared himself to fight for the state in his capacity as the Opposition Leader even in his 70s.

Despite his deep involvement in power politics, Nara Chandrababu Naidu has always been intensely focussed on creating wealth for the people and ensuring that the benefits reached the last man and woman.

To achieve these goals, he encouraged knowledge economy by creating a symbiotic relationship between technology and governance. There have been hits and misses in this relentless campaign. The successes of such an approach can be visibly seen in Telangana which is making a lot of progress on the back of the reforms and initiatives undertaken two decades ago.

The residual Andhra Pradesh was on the cusp of entering a new phase when the process was halted by the electoral defeat. 

But for Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the purpose and the goal remains the same, whether in power or out of it.