Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu made a triumphant return to the Andhra Pradesh assembly today, 31 months after he left over what he termed as an ‘insult to his family’.
Chandrababu Naidu had vowed in November 2021 to return only as Chief Minister, a promise he fulfilled after his party’s landslide victory in the recent Andhra Pradesh assembly elections.
#WATCH | Hon’ble Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu Garu takes oath as MLA as Assembly session commences. pic.twitter.com/7MlbbqtQ5A
— CMO Andhra Pradesh (@AndhraPradeshCM) June 21, 2024
The TDP secured 135 seats in the 175-member assembly, while their allies Jana Sena and BJP won 21 and 8 seats respectively.
Visuals from the assembly showed the entire house standing to give Chandrababu Naidu a warm welcome as he walked in as Chief Minister for his fourth term. Naidu had exited the assembly on November 19, 2021, following alleged abusive comments by members of the then-ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) about his wife.
During a debate on women’s empowerment, Chandrababu Naidu fought back tears and left the assembly with folded hands, stating, “I will not attend this assembly hereafter. I will return to the House only after becoming the chief minister.” He likened the assembly to a ‘Kaurava Sabha’, referring to the scene from the Mahabharata where Draupadi was humiliated.
In the 2019 state elections, the YSRCP, led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, won a resounding victory, securing 151 out of 175 seats and sweeping key districts. The incumbent TDP managed only 23 seats.
Naidu’s decision to leave the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and align with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections proved costly, resulting in losses in both Lok Sabha and assembly elections and his political sidelining.
Despite a potential end to his 50-year political career looming in 2024, Chandrababu Naidu has orchestrated a convincing comeback. Rejoining the BJP-led NDA, he scored significant wins in both assembly and Lok Sabha polls, retaking the Chief Minister’s chair and reemerging as a key player in the NDA alliance, which secured a record third term at the Centre.
