Nara Chandra Babu Naidu

Nara Chandrababu Naidu, popularly known as CBN, was born on April 20, 1950, in Naravaripalli, near Tirupati, India, and is a notable Indian politician. He has played key roles in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Currently, he is serving his fourth term as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Previously, he held the position for two terms: from 1995 to 2004 and again from 2014 to 2019 as the first chief minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh.

He began his political journey during his university days at Sri Venkateswara University. In 1975, he joined the Indian Youth Congress and rose to become the local chapter president in Pulicherla. During the Emergency in 1975, he supported Sanjay Gandhi.

With the support of N. G. Ranga, Naidu secured a Congress party candidacy through its youth quota and won as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Chandragiri in 1978. He served as a director of the Andhra Pradesh Small Scale Industries Development Corporation and later became a minister in T. Anjaiah’s government from 1980 to 1983, handling various portfolios.

Naidu’s life took a significant turn when he married Bhuvaneswari in September 1981, the second daughter of Telugu film star and founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR). In the 1989 assembly elections, he won the Kuppam constituency under the TDP banner and became the party coordinator, effectively managing its opposition role in the assembly.

From 1996 to 1998, Naidu played a crucial role as the convenor of the United Front, a coalition of 13 parties that came to power at the centre after the 1996 parliamentary elections. This marked a significant phase in his political career, with the United Front's headquarters established in Andhra Pradesh Bhavan, New Delhi.

Under Naidu's leadership, the Telugu Desam Party achieved a significant victory in the 1999 general election, securing 185 out of 294 seats in the Assembly and 36 out of 42 seats in the state legislature. This success positioned the party as the second-largest within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government.

The TDP supported the NDA government under A.B. Vajpayee, with 29 MPs providing external support. Naidu's governance approach was distinct as the TDP opted for "issue-based support," declining cabinet positions offered by Vajpayee. Instead, they supported the NDA government from the outside, highlighting Naidu’s unique style of leadership.

During his tenure, Naidu prioritised governance and infrastructure development, particularly in information technology, which transformed Hyderabad into a hub for investment.

However, despite his national and international recognition, Naidu faced electoral defeat in 2004 due to dissatisfaction among certain voter groups. He continued to lead the opposition but faced further setbacks in subsequent elections.

In 2014, the TDP allied with the BJP and won a majority in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. When he assumed office as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the third term, following the division of the state into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, he prioritised development and innovation. He introduced various programs, such as the "Smart Village, Smart Ward" initiative, aiming to upgrade rural areas with modern facilities. Additionally, he concentrated on enhancing the state's infrastructure, notably spearheading the construction of a new capital city called Amaravati.

The 2019 elections marked a significant defeat for Naidu and the TDP, as they secured only 23 out of 175 seats. The party lost power to the YSR Congress Party, led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. However, Naidu made a remarkable comeback in the 2024 general elections when his TDP, now part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), along with the State’s Jana Sena Party (JSP), successfully regained power by securing a majority with 164 seats.

On a personal note, he is married to Nara Bhuvaneswari, and they have one son together. His net worth is approximately Rs 9.32 billion, while he faces 19 criminal cases.