IT minister Nara Lokesh, the only son of TDP president and AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu is not going to contest the upcoming Assembly polls as anticipated earlier.
Reliable sources in TDP revealed that his father Naidu is against Lokesh contesting direct elections like Assembly polls, as there is no 'safe seat' available for Lokesh in AP, which could ensure his win against strong Opposition YSRCP.
Naidu fears that if Lokesh loses Assembly polls, it would create adverse impact on TDP, even if TDP wins Assembly polls and forms government.
Naidu also fear that this will close the doors for Lokesh as his successor in the TDP and TDP government and may give scope for Nandamuri family heirs to throw their hat to regain hold on TDP.
Naidu nominated Lokesh as MLC in March 2017 and took him into his cabinet as IT minister.
Lokesh came into cabinet and Legislature through back door entry in a 'safe route' unlike KTR, who came into his father KCR's cabinet in Telangana by winning successive Assembly elections with a good majority since 2008.
Naidu, who obtained party and intelligence reports from all Assembly constituencies found that there is not a single 'safe constituency' on which he can depend for 'guaranteed victory' for his son Lokesh except Kuppam.
But Kuppam seat is represented by Naidu himself, which he does not want to sacrifice for his son and face the risk himself by contesting from other seat with reports of 'huge YSRCP wave' sweeping across AP as per surveys done by prominent national media organisations recently.
