TDP’s Rammohan Naidu becomes youngest-ever Cabinet Minister at 36

Vijayawada: Telugu Desam Party rank and file erupted into joy on Sunday as three-time MP from Srikakulam Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu sworn in as a Cabinet Minister - the youngest-ever at the age of 36 years along with debutant MP and billionaire Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (48).

Celebrations began at various places even before the swearing in of Modi 3.0 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi in the evening. BJP circles were also agog with reports that its MP from Rajamahendravaram Daggubati Purandeswari, who served as Union Minister of State for Trade and Commerce in the UPA Government, would be made Speaker of Lok Sabha.

Rammohan Naidu's appointment was disclosed by former TD Parliamentary Party leader and industrialist Jayadev Galla in Delhi.

TDP, the largest ally of the NDA coalition after the BJP, had sought representation for four MPs in addition to the post of Speaker. During the Vajpayee Government, TDP's GMC Balayogi was made the Speaker. Purandeswari is the daughter of TDP founder and legendary actor late NT Rama Rao (NTR). TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's wife Bhuvaneswari is sister of Purandeswari. In West Godavari district, there were celebrations following the spread of reports that Narsapuram MP Srinivasa Varma had been appointed as a Union Minister under the BJP quota from Andhra Pradesh. BJP got three MPs elected from AP under the alliance with TDP and Jana Sena Party.

Rammohan Naidu plunged into politics after the death of his father, former Union Minister K Yerran Naidu. He is the nephew of K Atchan Naidu, AP president of TDP. Aged 36, he became an MP at the age of 26 from Srikakulam. An articulate speaker and floor leader of TDP Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha, he earned a good name for his soft-spoken and commitee approach in taking up public issues.

Dr Chandra Sekhar, whose family worked for TDP for several decades, runs a successful edtech company in the United States. He is one of the richest contestants with his family opening assets worth over Rs 5,785 crore. Dr Chandra Sekhar has done MBBS from Dr NTR University of Health Sciences and MD in internal medicine from Geisinger Medical Centre, Pennsylvania. Amaravati, the capital to be developed under the TDP-led Government in the State, is part of Guntur district represented by him.

Bhupatiraju Srinivas Varma, popular as BJP Varma, has been working for strengthening BJP in the State for three decades. At present, he is the State general secretary of BJP.