Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Lokesh on Wednesday announced that he will implement 33% reservation for women in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state within the party, regardless of whether the women’s quota is implemented at the national level.
Lokesh made the announcement on the opening day of Mahanadu, the two-day annual conclave of the TDP held at the party headquarters in Mangalagiri town in Guntur district.
The conclave, themed ‘Stree Shakti’ (Women Empowerment), is being held in a hybrid manner for the first time as part of the party’s austerity drive. While national and state committee members attended the meeting at the TDP headquarters, around 2.23 lakh people from 1,864 groups participated online.
Speaking at the conclave, Lokesh said the TDP has taken the initiative to provide 33% party tickets to women in the general elections scheduled in 2029, as the Women’s Reservation Bill is still facing political hurdles and opposition resistance in Parliament.
“We want to set an example instead of waiting for a national political consensus on women’s reservations,” he said.
Lokesh said he strongly believes that the next era of Indian politics must belong to women leadership. He said that the NDA government had already taken a historic step by introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill and stressed that women should not remain mere beneficiaries of welfare schemes but should become active decision-makers in governance and politics.
He alleged that the opposition parties tried to create obstacles to women’s empowerment by rejecting the Women’s Reservation Bill. Calling for decisive action, Lokesh said the TDP should lead from the front.
“From the Mahanadu phase, I propose that TDP reserve 33% seats for women in the 2029 elections. Not as a slogan, but as a commitment to India’s future,” he said.
The TDP working president further said that the country needs more women legislators, leaders and policy makers. “The future of TDP will be led hand in hand by women. This is our party’s resolve, responsibility and commitment towards building a stronger and more inclusive political future,” he said.
Many party members who spoke on the issue welcomed Lokesh’s proposal, saying it would go a long way in empowering women.
TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in his inaugural address, said the party has always worked not for elections, but for future generations.
He claimed that the previous government “destroyed the state”, while the current “people’s government” succeeded in bringing Andhra Pradesh out of a “ventilator-like state” and brought governance back on track.
He said that the government is moving forward aggressively and gradually with focus on empowering women, attracting investments, creating opportunities for the youth, providing irrigation to every acre, building Amaravati into a world-class metropolis, ensuring quality healthcare and education, and eliminating inequality to achieve the goal of ‘Swarna Andhra’.
Naidu said the government was committed to empowering women and ensuring their social, economic and political dignity. He highlighted initiatives ranging from property rights to welfare schemes like ‘Talliki Vandanam’, free bus travel for women under the ‘Stree Shakti’ scheme and three free LPG cylinders annually under the ‘Deepam 2.0’ scheme.
The Prime Minister said that the government has turned one hundred thousand women into entrepreneurs over the past year and has made plans to create another five hundred thousand women entrepreneurs.
He added that products made by women’s groups in DWCRA are categorized under the ‘Swayam AP’ initiative.
Pointing out that women played a crucial role in the coalition’s electoral victory, Naidu announced that this year’s Mahanadu has been dedicated to women as ‘Mahila Mahanadu’.
Focusing on youth empowerment, Naidu said every government policy is designed keeping the youth in mind. He said that the government is preparing policies in line with the aspirations of Generation Z, Generation Alpha and teenagers, especially in sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, aerospace, semiconductors, electronics and automobiles.
Naidu further claimed that Andhra Pradesh was attracting major projects, including food processing units, rare earth projects and even a project to manufacture and test fifth-generation fighter jets.
He said that the government has moved from “ease of doing business” to “speed of doing business,” noting that approvals were granted within 36 days for the fighter aircraft project.
Naidu said the LDP had one of the strongest and most disciplined cadres in the country and described the party as a “university that produces leaders”.
Naidu called on leaders and cadres to prepare for the upcoming local body elections, and said that winning the elections is the true measure of public opinion.
He urged party workers to stay in touch with the people, actively participate in voter registration drives and maintain coordination with coalition partners.
