The Rise, Fall And Rise Of Chandrababu Naidu, The Two-Time 'Kingmaker'

Chandrababu Naidu Nara is set to be sworn in as Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister for the fourth time, dethroning Jagan Mohan Reddy and regaining his fort. Naidu has been acclaimed as "kingmaker" for his pivotal role in helping the National Democratic Alliance form the government in the Centre and transforming Hyderabad into the tech hub it is today.

Naidu served as CM of the state twice—from 1995 to 2004—before the state's division, and now will be the first CM of the reduced state. His Telugu Desam Party garnered 59.96% votes in his constituency, Kuppam according to the ECI website.

Arrested in September 2023 for his part in the Skill Development Corporation scam, Naidu was charged with conspiracy to divert the money meant to train unemployed youth.

The BJP helped Naidu gain interim bail, which was made absolute in November 2023, allowing him to prepare for the 2024 polls. He then joined the NDA. The Rs 371-crore corruption scam managed to work in his favor by shocking his followers and translating into sympathy.

Five years after losing to Reddy, president of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress, the TDP has emerged victorious with 16 Lok Sabha seats and as the second-largest party in the NDA. In 2018, the TDP withdrew its support to the Modi coalition government over BJP’s failure to deliver on its promise of special status and financial assistance to develop the state capital, Amaravati.

The TDP won 134 out of the 175 seats in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu, who has been in politics for over four decades, will now have considerable say in matters as he allies with the NDA.

While Reddy stood as a lone soldier representing his party, the NDA had popular faces such as the Pawan Kalyan-led-Jana Sena representing and chipping in for them. Kalyan and Naidu were often seen meeting and putting out the right signals.

The unexpectedly strong fight put up by the opposition has led to the BJP falling short of the numbers needed for a majority. They will depend on Naidu and Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal Union, holding 12 seats, to form the government.

Naidu and Kumar, both veterans of coalition politics, have again been titled "kingmakers" since they now play a vital role in forming the new government. Negotiating with Naidu could be a challenge since he is known to drive a hard bargain.

In the 2019 elections, the YSRCP had won 23 Lok Sabha seats whereas only 10 this year. A major factor that drove their loss is the anti-incumbency wave and failure to address unemployment, farmers issues and welfare schemes.

Whereas in this year’s campaign, TDP has addressed these issues and promised job creation, unemployment allowance, three free gas cylinders, free bus tickets for women, investment support for farmers and allowance for students and women. The poll promises were largely regarding these freebies.