Daggubati Venkateswara Rao visited Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at his Undavalli residence recently and extended an invitation to him to the book launch of his book, Aadi Nunchi Neti Varaku. The book launch will be taking place on March 6 at 10:30 AM at GITAM University Auditorium, Visakhapatnam. Rao had also invited ex-Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the past, and now AP CM has been invited to the extravaganza too.
What is, however, drawing more interest than the book launch itself is the very unusual encounter of Daggubati Venkateswara Rao and Chandrababu Naidu, an event which makes headlines in the political world of AP. Social media is full of viral pictures of their encounter, as this is said to be Rao’s first visit to Naidu’s house in close to three decades. The encounter has generated intense speculation, particularly considering their intricate political past. Significantly, Chandrababu and Daggubati are brothers-in-law, and this adds a personal touch to their political dynamics.
Though familial bonds unite them, political divisions have separated them for years. The past two decades have witnessed their ways of parting, especially after 1995, when Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Previously, their ties were very friendly. But since 1995, the political permutations saw Daggubati Venkateswara Rao and his wife, Daggubati Purandeswari, switch allegiance to the Congress Party, where Purandeswari continued as a key player as a Union Minister between 2014 and 2019 in the UPA regime.
The 2014 split of Andhra Pradesh triggered yet another political re-jigging. Purandeswari switched to the BJP, where she now occupies key roles as AP BJP President and Rajamahendravaram MP. Daggubati and his son Hitesh Chenchuram defected to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) prior to the 2019 elections. Rao fought from Parchur under a YSRCP ticket but lost to the TDP candidate Eluri Sambasiva Rao. After the loss, both of them distanced themselves from active politics, although Purandeswari continued to be politically active in the BJP.
The last two years saw a lot of interaction between the Nandamuri, Nara, and Daggubati clans with an apparent prospect of reconciliation on the horizon. Though there is no official communication to this effect, the recent visit by Daggubati Venkateswara Rao to the residence of Chandrababu Naidu after an almost 30-year break is the subject of gossip.
With the changing politics of Andhra Pradesh, this surprise reunion has led many to speculate whether it is just a family courtesy visit or the beginning of a possible political realignment. With elections pending, this meeting may be more significant than it seems.
