For the past few days, Telugu Desam Party general secretary Nara Lokesh has been notably absent from public platforms. He hasn't been addressing rallies or traveling as he did during his Yuva Galam yatra.
Lokesh is mostly focused on his campaign in his Mangalagiri assembly constituency.
He's concentrating on meeting various sections of people to gain their confidence, as winning the seat with a significant margin has become a matter of prestige for him.
This development has surprised TDP leaders who used to seek Lokesh's guidance to get into his father's – party president N Chandrababu Naidu's – good books. However, Lokesh is now completely out of the loop.
It's been revealed that Naidu himself instructed Lokesh to refrain from public appearances and focus solely on Mangalagiri due to negative feedback received about his speeches.
At a recent internal meeting attended by Naidu, Lokesh, BJP leader C M Ramesh, and political strategist Prashant Kishor, differences arose between father and son.
Sources suggest Lokesh made a contentious comment on the alliance, which was strongly opposed by C M Ramesh and Prashant Kishor.
An irate Prashant Kishor reportedly advised Naidu to keep Lokesh away from public events in AP, warning it could be detrimental to the party.
Following this, Naidu instructed Lokesh to concentrate solely on Mangalagiri and not involve himself in other party matters, including addressing public meetings.
Subsequently, Lokesh was sent to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to campaign for BJP candidates but hasn't addressed any meetings in Andhra since then.
This is seen as an indication of a leadership crisis within the party.