Chandrababu Naidu's arrest leaves the leader spot open ahead of Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls
N Chandrababu Naidu was arrested on Saturday and sent to 14 day judicial custody by a Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court. Chandrababu Naidu was brought to Central Prison in Rajamahendravaram. The TDP chief has been accused in in a multi-crore corruption Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Scam case.
The septuagenarian politician has been granted provision of home-cooked food, medication and a special room, among other amenities. The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh has also been provided with a separate accommodation inside the jail in view of the purported threat to his life. He is a Z-plus category security protectee.
Naidu's son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh followed his father to the prison gates and waited outside for some time before leaving, reported PTI. Ahead of the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls, the pot-shots TDP threw at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on being a state chief out on bail, seems to have boomeranged on Chandrababu Naidu himself. The case has cast aspersions over heavy weights of the Telegu Desam Party, including Atchen Naidu, the president of the Andhra unit of the party and former education minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao.
However, with either Atchen Naidu, or Ganta Srinivasa Rao, can TDP retain its charm ahead of the crucial polls? Further, Chandrababu Naidu's son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh is also likely to be investigated in the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development corruption case. A long drawn legal battle would mean taking the sheen off the TDP in the run-up to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections that is scheduled later this year, and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It would also mean confusion in the ranks with questions raised over the TDP's ability to
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