Will Lokesh lead the padayatra?

There is considerable speculation over when Lokesh will take a plunge into active politics.

Though he caught some sort of media attention for the past six months for dabbling in politics, as being on and off in the politics, he has avoided the glare of spotlights and was off the centrestage.  In a bid to refurbish its image and regain some lost ground, the Telugu Desam Party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu embarked on a 117-day padayatra recently.
Many political analysts feel that Naidu's perception is that his padayatra is the right launching-pad for his son Lokesh who has been waiting in the wings for some time now, to enter mainstream politics.

Lokesh would, in fact, seen interacting with the public in the padayatra. Naidu feels it would give his son an opportunity to strike a chord with the people, since he is a virtual non-entity. Once the people get familiar with Lokesh, Naidu is likely to give him an important position in the party.

Naidu who is particular about his health, stopped using formal black shoes after starting his padayatra and started using international brands. On the fourth day of his 117-day padayatra, Naidu underwent physiotherapy and reportedly fell sick.

Expectedly, Naidu wants his mantle to be passed on to Lokesh. It is widely being speculated that later this month, Naidu is very likely to say that his health has taken a turn for the worse and Lokesh will step in to take the march forward. Those who think that it could be Naidu's Brother- in- law and actor Nandamuri Balakrishna are sadly mistaken.

Naidu doesn't trust his own shadow. Naidu's other brother-in-law, Nandamuri Harikrishna and his son Jr. NTR are not on the best of terms, though Jr. NTR likely to join the padayatra at a later stage. Obviously then, it's going to Lokesh, who will lead the way. How the padayatra pans out is a matter of general conjecture. But it is known to all that in the best of times Naidu has been a poor orator and Lokesh is nothing to write home about either. In spite of all its efforts to pull up its socks, it looks like the TDP is in for hard times.

- Siva@sakshipost