Chandrababu Naidu Biography

Nara Chandrababu Naidu is the first CM of Andhra Pradesh after its division. He is holding the position since 2014. He also served as the CM for the united AP from 1994 to 2004. Currently, he is the president of Telugu Desam Party(TDP). He led his party to a thumping victory in the 2014 assembly elections, with the TDP winning 102 of the 175 assembly seats. In the Lok Sabha polls too, the TDP-BJP combine emerged with the highest tally in the region.

Early Life

Chandrababu Naidu was born on 20th April 1950 in Chittoor district in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh in a farmer’s household to Karjoora and Ammannama. Naidu was the eldest child and he has two younger sisters and a brother.

Naidu studied at various schools in the Seshapuram gram panchayat and Chandragiri. He went on to secure a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Tirupati’s S.V. Arts College. This was followed by a post-graduate degree. It was during his college days that he was attracted to social and political causes. Naidu’s contemporaries at S.V. University included political figures such as K.S. Narayana and Pileru R. Reddy.

Political Career

His brilliant leadership skills and interest in politics, made him rise to become the president of the local Youth Congress. The decisive turning point in his political career came when he contested and won in the 1978 assembly polls. At the age of 28, not only did he become an MLA, but also the youngest minister in the AP cabinet.

A rising star, he was given the portfolio of technical education and cinematography. His political clout was further enhanced in 1980 when he married Bhuvaneswari, the second daughter of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, better known as NTR – the iconic Telugu film star who later became chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

During his rule in the state from 1994, Naidu fashioned himself as a tech-savvy chief minister with a managerial style of functioning. He came out with a “Vision 2020” for the state and declared that he preferred to be known as the chief executive rather than the chief minister of the state.

According to his vision document, Andhra Pradesh would be a transformed state by 2020, and information technology would play a key role in this transformation. Specifically, Naidu drew up ambitious plans to turn Hyderabad into an information technology hub. Many of these plans were implemented in his eight-plus years as CM. His image was that of a hard-working CEO, analysing data from computers in his office in the capital and acting accordingly.

The World Bank was roped in as an adviser. Foreign leaders came calling, often making Hyderabad their second destination after New Delhi. The international media lauded him. Several services and IT companies set up shop in Hyderabad – or “Cyberabad” as it was sometimes called.

Naidu led his party to victory in the 1999 assembly elections, with the TDP combine winning 185 seats. In 2004, his party suffered a major setback, winning only 49 seats. He vowed to rebuild his party and stage a comeback. The TDP bettered its performance in the 2009 assembly polls, the Congress retained power in the state. However, in 2014 elections, he came back to power in alliance with BJP.

Awards and recognition

1. Longest CM of Andhra Pradesh for eight years and eight months (1995-2004)
2. Voted IT Indian of the Millennium in a joint poll by India Today and 20:20 Media
3. Voted South Asian of the Year by the Time magazine
4. Governor of Illinois declared ‘Naidu Day’ in his honour

N Chandrababu Naidu Facts and Information