Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from Anakapalli, C M Ramesh, was once a staunch loyalist of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his time in the TDP.
It was, in fact, Naidu who launched Ramesh’s political career in the late 1990s and played a key role in his rise as one of the country's prominent industrialists.
His company, Ritwik Projects, secured contracts for numerous infrastructure projects across India, with its turnover crossing ₹1,000 crore within a decade.
Whenever Naidu was in power, Ramesh often served as his political liaison in New Delhi. In recognition of his loyalty and support, Naidu nominated him to the Rajya Sabha twice.
However, following the TDP’s defeat to the YSR Congress Party in the 2019 elections, Ramesh, along with fellow industrialist-politician Y S Chowdary (also known as Sujana Chowdary), defected to the BJP — allegedly to escape scrutiny over financial irregularities.
There were speculations that Naidu himself had facilitated their entry into the BJP to protect their business interests. Despite switching parties, both leaders reportedly maintained cordial ties with Naidu.
However, according to recent BJP sources, Naidu has been distancing himself from Ramesh, and their relationship appears to have soured — though the reasons remain unclear.
Sources claim that Naidu recently turned down Ramesh’s requests for certain contracts and has also been avoiding meetings with him and his associates.
“It’s not immediately clear why Naidu is upset with Ramesh,” said a party insider.
Reportedly, Ramesh opposed the Rajya Sabha candidature of Sana Satish, who was nominated by the TDP leadership. He is said to have made critical remarks about Satish’s selection, which may have triggered the fallout.
“This seems to have angered TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who played a key role in securing the Rajya Sabha ticket for Satish. Moreover, Naidu is pleased with Satish, who has been actively lobbying for the TDP in Delhi. That might explain why Ramesh is now being sidelined,” the source added.
