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Nara Chandrababu Naidu
Photo: Prime Minister's Office, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons18

Nara Chandrababu Naidu

13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (born 1950)

Nara Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu pronunciation: [ˈnɑːrɑː ˈtʃʌnˌdrɑː ˈbɑːbuː ˈnaɪduː]; born 20 April 1950), commonly known as CBN, is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh since 2024. He holds the record of longest-serving Chief Minister in the political history of Telugu states.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Nara Chandrababu Naidu (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 20, 1950.1

About

He is the national president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

In 1978, he was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Congress party, and from 1980 to 1982, he served as a minister in the state cabinet. Afterwards, he switched party allegiance and joined TDP, which had been founded by his father-in-law N. T. Rama Rao. Naidu served as a TDP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 1989 to 1995. In 1995, he became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

During his two previous terms as Chief Minister, Naidu's public image was that of a visionary economic reformer and proponent of information technology–driven economic growth. His policies brought modernisation and significant investments, particularly in Hyderabad, where he directed the founding of HITEC City, Genome Valley, HITEX Exhibition and the Financial District. He also established the Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS), which was inaugurated during his tenure to improve urban mobility. Additionally, he initiated major infrastructure projects such as the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road and laid the groundwork for the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. He also had a role in national politics, first as the convener of the United Front in 1996. He supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, in which TDP won 29 seats, enhancing Naidu's reputation as a nationally prominent politician. In 2014, Naidu returned as Chief Minister, winning in the now-residuary (due to bifurcation) Andhra Pradesh.

His leadership earned him significant global recognition, including the Golden Peacock Award for Public Service, USIBC's Transformative Chief Minister Award, IT Indian of the Millennium, Economic Times Business Person of the Year, Time's South Asian of the Year, and an honorary professorship from the Kellogg School of Management.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nara Chandrababu Naidu, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedSri Venkateswara University3

Naidu was born on 20 April 1950 in a Telugu Hindu agrarian family to Nara Kharjura Naidu and his mother Amanamma in Naravaripalle, Tirupati district, in present-day Andhra Pradesh. He has a younger brother Nara Ramamurthy Naidu and two younger sisters. Naidu has vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes white patches on the skin.

Since his village had no school, Naidu attended primary school in Seshapuram up to class five and the Chandragiri Government High School up to class 10. He completed his B.A. degree in 1972 from Sri Venkateswara Arts College, Tirupati. Later, he got his master's degree in economics from Sri Venkateswara University. In 1974, under the guidance of professor Dr. D. L. Narayana he started work on his Ph.D. on the topic of Economic ideas of Professor N. G. Ranga, but did not complete his Ph.D.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nara Chandrababu Naidu (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: politician.9 10

  • Since 2024Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh7
  • Since 2024Member of the 16th Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly7
  • 2014 to 2019Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh7
  • 2014 to 2019Member of the 15th Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly7
  • 1995 to 2004Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh7
  • Since 1995Chair, Telugu Desam Party8
  • Since 1989Member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly7
  • Date not recordedFounded NTR Trust4
  • Date not recordedFounded Genome Valley5
  • Date not recordedFounded Heritage Foods6

Legislative career (1989–1994)

In the 1989 assembly election, Naidu contested from Kuppam constituency as a TDP candidate and won by 5,000 votes. INC, however, was elected to power, so Naidu was in the opposition. Rama Rao appointed him as a coordinator of the TDP, in which capacity he handled the party's role of the main opposition in the assembly which won him wide appreciation from both the party and the public. His role during this phase, both inside the Legislative Assembly and outside, is seen as a critical factor for the subsequent success of the party.

Naidu won the 1994 elections from Kuppam constituency. He became the Finance and Revenue Minister in N. T. Rama Rao's ministry.

Heritage Foods Limited (HFL), a dairy enterprise, was incorporated by Naidu in 1992. The company went public in 1994. The annual turnover of Heritage Foods stood at INR 26,429 million in the financial year 2021–22. Currently, Nara Bhuvaneswari, Naidu's wife, holds the position of vice-chairperson & managing director, while Nara Brahmani, Naidu's daughter-in-law, serves as the executive director. Heritage has hundreds of outlets throughout Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and a significant presence across many states in the country. Heritage has also a renewable energy vertical which runs captive solar & wind power plants at 11 different locations. HFL comprises a solid portion of Naidu's current assets.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nara Chandrababu Naidu (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornApr 20, 1950, Naravari Palle11
  • CitizenshipIndia12
  • ResidenceAmaravati13
  • SpouseNara Bhuvaneshwari14

Politics

Earlier political career

Indian National Congress

Naidu started his political activities as a student union leader in Sri Venkateswara University while pursuing his master's degree. In 1975, he joined Indian Youth Congress and became the president of its local chapter in Pulicherla. After the emergency was imposed on the country in 1975, he became a supporter of Sanjay Gandhi.

With the help of N. G. Ranga, Naidu secured a candidacy from the Congress party, under its 20% quota for the youth, and became a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Chandragiri constituency in the 1978 assembly elections. He initially served as a director of Andhra Pradesh Small Scale Industries Development Corporation. Later, he was appointed as a minister in T. Anjaiah's government. Between 1980 and 1983, Naidu held various portfolios, including archives, cinematography, technical education, and minor irrigation in the state government. He became the youngest MLA at the age of 28 and a minister at the age of 30 in Andhra Pradesh at that time.

As the cinematography minister, Naidu came in contact with N. T. Rama Rao, a popular film star in Telugu cinema. In September 1981, he married Bhuvaneswari, Rao's second daughter.

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Telugu Desam Party

In 1982, N. T. Rama Rao, formed the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and swept the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls held in 1983. Chandrababu Naidu, who was his son-in-law, remained in the Congress Party. However, he was defeated by a TDP candidate in the elections from Chandragiri assembly constituency. Soon after, he joined the Telugu Desam Party. Initially, Naidu involved himself in the party work, organising training camps and computerising membership records. He played an active role during the 1984 August crisis in the government triggered by Nadendla Bhaskara Rao's coup. NTR appointed Naidu as general secretary of the TDP in 1986.

Role in National Politics

Chandrababu Naidu's involvement in national politics during the period of 1996 to 2004 was dominated by non-Congress coalition politics in Delhi. In the aftermath of the 1996 parliamentary elections, he assumed the role of convenor for the United Front, a coalition comprising 13 political parties that secured power at the Centre. The coalition government was headed by H.D. Deve Gowda and later I.K. Gujral between 1996 and 1998. The United Front had its headquarters at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi.

Subsequently, Chandrababu Naidu's significance in national affairs got amplified after the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. The TDP and the BJP, which had a pre-poll understanding in the state, together won 36 MPs out of 42. The BJP emerged as the largest single party in the Lok Sabha. The TDP extended the support of 29 of its MPs to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by A. B. Vajpayee. TDP did not join the government, extending only 'issue-based support'. Naidu claimed that though Vajpayee had offered eight cabinet berths to his party, the TDP stayed away from the union cabinet and offered external support to the NDA government.

Non-political initiatives

Chandrababu Naidu serves as the chairman and director of the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation (GFST), an organisation he established in March 2020 in Hyderabad. It is positioned as a global not-for-profit and apolitical think tank, with the aim of promoting sustainability in economies and communities. In June 2023, GFST hosted a seminar on 'Deep Technologies' in Hyderabad. Among its projects is the development of Vision India@2047, aligning with India's 100th year of Independence. Naidu unveiled a vision document titled India@2047, authored by GFST, on 15 August 2023, in Visakhapatnam.

The NTR Memorial Trust was founded in 1997 by Chandrababu Naidu as a non-profit organisation. The Trust is involved in a variety of activities including initiatives like providing free education, offering blood transfusion facilities, conducting health camps, and supporting empowerment and livelihood programs. The Trust manages a blood bank and Thalassemia center in Hyderabad, as well as blood banks in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. Additionally, it operates schools in Hyderabad and Challapalli (Krishna district), along with NTR Junior & Degree College for Women in Hyderabad. The Trust's day-to-day operations are overseen by Naidu's wife, Nara Bhuvaneswari, who serves as the managing trustee.

Naidu faced severe criticism from various quarters for his policies. Both the Congress and left parties vehemently opposed his privatisation initiatives, labelling him as a symbol of World Bank policies. The power sector reforms implemented by him encountered strong resistance throughout the state. Naidu attracted criticism for allegedly prioritising information technology over the agriculture sector, which was a vital source of livelihood for a significant portion of the state's workforce. While the corporate industry hailed him as the "CEO of Andhra Pradesh Inc.," a substantial portion of the state's population perceived him as "anti-poor", which reflected in the loss of the 2004 elections. Amaravati, the new capital city that he set out to build in his latest term, ran into rough weather over various controversies.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nara Chandrababu Naidu (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

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