Till a couple of days ago, there was a talk in the political circles in Andhra Pradesh that Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu might not come to the state assembly at all, as he would not like to sit in the opposition to face a person of his son’s age Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in the treasury benches becomes the leader of the House.
It was rumoured that Naidu would resign from his Kuppam seat and make his son Lokesh to contest from it in the by-elections.
At the same time, he would entrust the task of leading the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) to a senior leader like Payyavula Kesav or K Achen Naidu, who have the capacity to counter the attack from the ruling party.
But, the rumours have turned out be false with the election of Naidu as the TDLP leader on Wednesday.
It means, Naidu himself will head the party in the assembly and is ready to take on the YSRC in the House. In a way, it is the right decision of Naidu and it will restore the prestige of the party.
Had Naidu quit the assembly only to avoid facing Jagan, it would have led to the talk that the TDP president lacked courage and was afraid of the YSRC.
By deciding to lead the party in the assembly, Naidu expressed readiness to face the challenges, which is the hallmark of a true leader.
It remains to be seen how the TDP chief will handle the onslaught of the ruling YSRC which has an unprecedented strength in the assembly.