Today, Telugu Desam Party has gained unprecedented relevance in various areas, whether in the world of work, in everyday life or in the academic field. Its influence has become palpable in practically all aspects of our society, generating a significant impact on the way we relate, work and function in the digital environment. This is why it is vitally important to understand and analyze in a deep and critical way the role that Telugu Desam Party plays in our daily lives, as well as the challenges and opportunities that its presence entails. In this article, we will explore the different aspects related to Telugu Desam Party and how its presence continues to have a relevant impact on today's society.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP; transl. Party of the Telugu Land)[14] is an Indian regional political party with influence in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[15] It was founded by Telugu movie star N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982[16] and has focused on supporting Telugu people. The party has won a five-time majority in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and has emerged as the most successful political outfit in the state's history. It is currently the ruling party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.[17][18]
From 1 September 1995, the TDP was led by N. T. Rama Rao's son-in-law, Nara Chandra Babu Naidu as the national president of the party. The headquarters of the party is called N. T. R. Bhavan, which is located at Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh.
The Telugu Desam Party follows a pro-Telugu ideology. It was founded as an alternative to the Congress hegemony, by emphasizing Telugu regional pride and serving as the party for farmers, backward castes and middle-class people. Since the 1990s, it has followed an economically liberal policy that has been seen as pro-business and pro-development.[19]
The TDP uses yellow as the background colour for its flag, with a hut, wheel and plough symbol in the foreground. The party's electoral symbol is bicycle.
Since 2014, every active member has been eligible for a life insurance policy of ₹2 lakh to be paid to their family in cases of death or permanent total disability, such as the loss of two limbs of eyes, due to accidents, with additional payouts of ₹5,000 per child (up to two) for educational costs. Active members are also reimbursed for up to ₹50,000 to cover hospital treatment from such accidents.[20]
As a film actor, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) is a well-known name not only to the Telugu people but across the country. On 18 November 1977, near Diviseema[21] in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, the sea became turbulent and the Pralaya cyclone that crossed the coast caused great destruction to the villages. Thousands of people lost their lives in Horugali and Rakasi waves. The rotting bodies were mass cremated. Officially 14,204 people and unofficially about 50,000 lost their lives in the devastation caused by this typhoon. About 20 thousand acres of crops were damaged. Apart from this, property damage is also estimated to be in crores. People still get excited when they remember that Diviseema was flooded. Film actor NTR, who was shocked by the situation at that time, took the support of the entire film industry by saying that he should stand by the people of Divisea. NTR came to streets and begged everyone to help the Diviseema people. The money donated by people was used to rehabilitate the people of Diviseema.
TDP party was founded thinking that we should stand by the people of the state who are struggling with many such problems and put a political party to stand by the people. The party was formed on 29 March 1982 and contested the 1983 elections. The people of Andhra Pradesh, who were fed up with the Congress government which had been ruling for 36 years, gave a great victory to the TDP party in the 1983 elections. On 9 January 1983, NTR was sworn in as the 7th chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.[22]
On 16 August 1984, when NTR went to America for the operation, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, one of the MLAs of the TDP party, took the oath of office with the Governor along with his MLAs as the Chief Minister.[23] On 16 September 1984, NTR along with his MLAs went to Delhi and held a march and dharna against the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Then NTR was once again sworn in as the chief minister.
This section should include a summary of, or be summarized in, another article.(July 2023) |
After the formation of Telangana, the TDP, in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contested the 2014 Legislative Assembly election. TDP won 15 seats in the newly formed Telangana Legislative Assembly securing most of its seats in the districts of Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Warangal, and Khammam.[24] The party also won a Lok Sabha seat from Malkajgiri in the simultaneously held 2014 Indian general election.[25][26] However, defections of legislators and other leaders from TDP to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), now known as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the alleged portrayal of TDP as an "Andhra party" by the TRS, led to a decline of the party's influence in the state.[27][28][29][30][31][32]
In the 2016 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election, TDP won just one councillor seat out of 150.[33] In the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, the party won two seats, both in Khammam district, out of 119 seats. It had contested the 2018 elections as part of the Praja Kutami, which included the Indian National Congress, traditionally a long-time opponent of TDP and other parties.[34][35]
Following the bifurcation, TDP created separate state units for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In 2015, L. Ramana, a two time former MLA from Jagtial, was appointed as the first president of the Telangana unit of TDP, serving until 2021. Ramana later quit the party to join the BRS.[36] He was succeeded by Bakkani Narasimhulu, a former MLA from Shadnagar, in July 2021.[37] The party performed poorly in the 2020 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election, failing to win any seats.[38]
In November 2022, Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj, a former MLC and BC leader, was appointed president of Telangana TDP by N. Chandrababu Naidu.[39] Kasani, who had also served as the national president of the Mudiraj Mahasabha, initiated efforts to revive the party in Telangana after his appointment.[40][41][42]
However, on 30 October 2023, Kasani resigned as Telangana TDP president and joined the BRS, following N. Chandrababu Naidu announcement that TDP would not contest the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election. Since then, the party's Telangana unit has remained without a leader. [43] The party also announced that it would not contest the 2024 Indian general election in Telangana, but would continue to be part of the NDA.[44]
On 21 December 2022, the party organized a large public gathering in Khammam district of Telangana to re-energize the party cadre.[45][46] It was attended by TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and the T–TDP unit Pres Kasani. A huge crowd attended the gathering held at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Khammam.[47] While addressing the gathering, Chandrababu Naidu appealed to those who quit the party to join other political parties to return to regain the party's past glory.[48] After 2018, it was the first time that TDP organized a show of strength in Telangana.[49][50]
The TDP also holds influence in the union territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands, contesting the Port Blair Municipal Council elections periodically. With a significant Telugu population in the islands, the party secured and maintained two seats in both the 2015 and 2022 council elections.[51][52] On 14 March 2023, TDP councillor S. Selvi was elected as the chairperson, as part of the TDP–BJP alliance.[53][54]
The Telugu Desam Party has had a significant presence in the Lok Sabha elections since its formation in 1982. In its first election in 1984, the party made a debut by winning 30 out of 42 seats in Andhra Pradesh.[55] Over the years, TDP's performance in the Lok Sabha elections has fluctuated. In the 1989 elections, the party's influence slightly waned but it remained a key player in the state's politics.[56][57]
N. T. Rama Rao served as the chairperson of the National Front, a coalition of non-Congress parties in the late 1980s.[58] The TDP saw a resurgence in the 1996 and 1999 elections, forming alliances with national parties. N. Chandrababu Naidu played a crucial role as the convenor of the United Front, a coalition of non-BJP and non-Congress parties in the mid-1990s.[59][60][61]
During the late 1990s, TDP leader G. M. C. Balayogi served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1998 to 2002.[62] The party played a crucial role in supporting the Janata Dal coalition government and was instrumental in the formation of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister. The party's alliance with the BJP was pivotal in securing the necessary majority for the NDA.[63][64][65]
The TDP's fortunes declined in the 2004 and 2009 elections, but it improved it's seat count in 2014, winning 16 seats in alliance as part of the NDA.[66] However, in the 2019 elections, TDP faced a major setback, winning only 3 seats amidst strong competition from other parties in the state. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Lok Sabha seats were divided between the newly formed state of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, leaving behind 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh and 17 seats in Telangana. In the recent 2024 election, the party, part of the NDA, managed to win 16 seats, playing a key role in the formation of the Third Modi ministry.[61]
Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | 8th | N. T. Rama Rao | 34 | 30 / 543
|
30 | 4.31 | new | 10,132,859 | Opposition | [67] |
1989 | 9th | 33 | 2 / 543
|
28 | 3.29 | 1.02 | 9,909,728 | Others | [68] | |
1991 | 10th | 35 | 13 / 543
|
11 | 2.99 | 0.30 | 8,223,271 | Others | [69] | |
1996 | 11th | N. Chandrababu Naidu | 36 | 16 / 543
|
3 | 2.97 | 0.02 | 9,931,826 | Others | [70] |
1998 | 12th | 35 | 12 / 543
|
4 | 2.77 | 0.20 | 10,199,463 | Government | [71] | |
1999 | 13th | 34 | 29 / 543
|
17 | 3.65 | 0.88 | 13,297,370 | Government | [72] | |
2004 | 14th | 35 | 5 / 543
|
24 | 3.04 | 0.61 | 11,844,811 | Others | [73] | |
2009 | 15th | 31 | 6 / 543
|
1 | 2.51 | 0.53 | 10,481,659 | Others | [74] | |
2014 | 16th | 30 | 16 / 543
|
10 | 2.55 | 0.04 | 14,099,230 | Government | [75] | |
2019 | 17th | 25 | 3 / 543
|
13 | 2.04 | 0.51 | 12,515,345 | Others | ||
2024 | 18th | 17 | 16 / 543
|
13 | 1.98 | 0.06 | 12,775,270 | Government | [76] |
Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 14th | N. Chandrababu Naidu | 165 | 102 / 175
|
new | 44.90 | new | 12,916,000 | Government |
2019 | 15th | 175 | 23 / 175
|
79 | 39.17 | 5.73 | 12,304,668 | Opposition | |
2024 | 16th | 144 | 135 / 175
|
112 | 45.60 | 6.43 | 15,384,576 | Government |
Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 1st | N. Chandrababu Naidu | 72 | 15 / 119
|
new | 14.7 | new | 2,828,492 | Others |
2018 | 2nd | 13 | 2 / 119
|
13 | 3.51 | 11.20 | 725,845 | Others | |
2023 | 3rd | Did not contest |
Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | 7th | N. T. Rama Rao | 289 | 201 / 294
|
new | 46.30 | new | 9,777,222 | Government |
1985 | 8th | 250 | 202 / 294
|
1 | 46.21 | 0.09 | 10,625,508 | Government | |
1989 | 9th | 241 | 74 / 294
|
127 | 36.54 | 9.67 | 10,506,982 | Opposition | |
1994 | 10th | 251 | 216 / 294
|
142 | 44.14 | 7.60 | 13,743,842 | Government | |
1999 | 11th | N. Chandrababu Naidu | 269 | 180 / 294
|
36 | 43.87 | 0.27 | 14,613,307 | Government |
2004 | 12th | 267 | 47 / 294
|
133 | 37.59 | 6.28 | 13,444,168 | Opposition | |
2009 | 13th | 225 | 92 / 294
|
45 | 28.12 | 9.47 | 11,826,457 | Opposition |
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Term in office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||
Presidents | |||||
1 | N. T. Rama Rao (1923–1996) |
29 March 1982 | 31 August 1995 | 13 years, 155 days | |
2 | N. Chandrababu Naidu (born 1950) |
1 September 1995 | 29 May 2015 | 19 years, 270 days | |
National Presidents | |||||
1 | N. Chandrababu Naidu (born 1950) |
29 May 2015 | Incumbent | 9 years, 157 days |
No. | Name (Lifespan) |
Term in office | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||
Andhra Pradesh unit | |||||
1 | Kimidi Kalavenkata Rao (born 1952) |
30 September 2015 | 20 October 2020 | 5 years, 20 days | [79] |
2 | Kinjarapu Atchannaidu | 20 October 2020 | 13 June 2024 | 3 years, 237 days | [80] |
3 | Palla Srinivasa Rao | 14 June 2024 | Incumbent | 142 days | |
Telangana unit | |||||
1 | L. Ramana (born 1961) |
30 September 2015 | 9 July 2021 | 5 years, 282 days | [37] |
2 | Bakkani Narasimhulu (born 1960) |
19 July 2021 | 4 November 2022 | 1 year, 108 days | |
3 | Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj (born 1954) |
10 November 2022 | 30 October 2023 | 354 days | [39] |
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Term in office | Lok Sabha (Election) |
Constituency | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | G. M. C. Balayogi (1951–2002) |
24 March 1998 | 19 October 1999 | 3 years, 341 days | 12th (1998) |
Amalapuram | |
22 October 1999 | 3 March 2002 | 13th (1999) |
Portfolio | Name (Lifespan) |
Term in office | Prime Minister | Government | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | P. Upendra (1936–2009) |
6 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 | 339 days | Vishwanath Pratap Singh | Janata Dal (National Front) | |
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | |||||||
Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment | Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu (1957–2012) |
1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | H. D. Deve Gowda Inder Kumar Gujral |
Janata Dal (United Front) | |
Ministry of Commerce | Bolla Bulli Ramaiah (1926–2018) |
29 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 263 days | |||
Ministry of Textiles (MoS, I/C) | 20 January 1998 | 19 March 1998 | 58 days | ||||
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoS) | Ummareddy Venkateswarlu (born 1935) |
1 June 1996 | 9 June 1997 | 1 year, 8 days | |||
Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment (MoS, I/C) | 2 July 1997 | 14 November 1997 | 135 days | ||||
12 December 1997 | 19 March 1998 | 97 days | |||||
Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment (MoS) | 29 June 1996 | 9 June 1997 | 345 days | ||||
Ministry of Civil Aviation | Ashok Gajapathi Raju (born 1951) |
26 May 2014 | 9 March 2018 | 3 years, 287 days | Narendra Modi | Bharatiya Janata Party (NDA) | |
Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS) | Sujana Chowdary (born 1961) |
9 November 2014 | 9 March 2018 | 3 years, 120 days | |||
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoS) | |||||||
Ministry of Civil Aviation | Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu (born 1987) |
10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 145 days | |||
Ministry of Communications (MoS) | Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar (born 1976) |
10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 145 days | |||
Ministry of Rural Development (MoS) | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 145 days |
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Term in office | Assembly (Election) |
Constituency | Ministry | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
1 | N. T. Rama Rao (1923–1996) |
9 January 1983 | 16 August 1984 | 7 years, 195 days | 7th (1983) |
Tirupati | Rama Rao I | |
16 September 1984 | 9 March 1985 | |||||||
9 March 1985 | 2 December 1989 | 8th (1985) |
Hindupur | Rama Rao II | ||||
12 December 1994 | 1 September 1995 | 10th (1994) |
Rama Rao III | |||||
2 | N. Bhaskara Rao (born 1936) |
16 August 1984 | 16 September 1984 | 31 days | 7th (1983) |
Vemuru | Bhaskara Rao | |
3 | N. Chandrababu Naidu (born 1950) |
1 September 1995 | 11 October 1999 | 14 years, 25 days | 10th (1994) |
Kuppam | Naidu I | |
11 October 1999 | 13 May 2004 | 11th (1999) |
Naidu II | |||||
8 June 2014 | 29 May 2019 | 14th (2014) |
Naidu III | |||||
9 June 2024 | Incumbent | 16th (2024) |
Naidu IV |
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