Miffed Over Sagging Popularity, Lokesh Wants to Compete With KTR

By K Sudhakar Reddy

Hyderabad:While fathers are apparently trying to bury the hatchet ending years of confrontation, KT Rama Rao and Nara Lokesh, sons of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu respectively, are competing with each other in political leadership.A comparision between the two young leaders among political circles has become a hot topic nowadays. Although KTR has no political interests in AP and Lokesh is responsible for both the states, the former is improving his image in Telangana as well as AP while the latter's political image is fast decreasing in both the states, according to analysts.

In terms of status, both KTR and Lokesh are enjoying almost equal power in Telangana and AP respectively. In fact, Lokesh is said to be of the opinion that he is enjoying more power in party as well as government than his counterpart in Telangana. Besides a powerful status of being the son of the chief minister, Lokesh is the general secretary of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) while KTR doesn't hold such a high profile post in Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), but holds all important Information Technology and Panchayat Raj ministries.

While KTR confined himself to his ministerial duties, without much involvement in the party activities in Telangana, Lokesh is actively participating in the party programmes, influencing almost all the decisions of the party as well as government. His position being official in the party, most of the leaders who are wielding positions in government are directly in touch with Lokesh. He is calling even ministers to his office to give directions on a regular basis. It's no secret that chief minister also consults his son before taking decisions in all important matters whereas the interaction between KCR and son KTR is not that obvious in both party and government affairs.

Despite all the advantages, Lokesh is unable to draw as much publicity as KTR is managing in Telangana. He has reportedly expressed his disappointment over his waning popularity among the party cadres as well as people in general. A desperate Lokesh is believed to have asked his close confidants to find out ways to improve his image and following. They are working out on the strategies to grab extensive media coverage for Lokesh and groom him a popular leader in AP.