AP Chief Minister and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu (right) with and State IT Minister and TDP working president Nara Lokesh in Mahanadu 2026 in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

 In a first-of-its-kind political initiative, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is planning to implement 33 per cent reservation for women within the party in the allocation for seats for the General Elections scheduled for 2029.

Nara Lokesh, Working President of the TDP and son of Andhra Pradesh and TDP Supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, proposed 33 percent reservation to women in on the first day of Mahanadu 2026, the mega political congregation of TDP which began in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

Addressing the party workers, Nara Lokesh said the next era of Indian politics must belong to women leadership. He said the NDA government had already taken a historic step by bringing the Women’s Reservation Bill and stressed that women must not remain mere beneficiaries of welfare schemes but should become active decision-makers in governance and politics.

He said opposition parties had attempted to create obstacles to women empowerment by rejecting the Women’s Reservation Bill. In contrast, he asserted that the Telugu Desam Party believes in empowerment both in principle and in practice.

Speaking on the occasion, Lokesh said the TDP should lead from the front and the country would need the country needs more women lawmakers, women leaders and women policymakers. The TDP would be `led shoulder to shoulder by women’ Lokesh said terming the the proposal as the “party’s resolve, responsibility and commitment towards building a stronger and more inclusive political future.’’

This Mahanadu is being organised on the theme “Stree Shakti” and the proposal came at a time when the Women’s Reservation Bill continues to face political hurdles and opposition resistance in Parliament. 

The party has also recently elevated women representation within its own organisational structure by appointing MP Byreddy Shabari as its first woman National General Secretary, a move widely seen as part of the party’s broader push towards strengthening women leadership.

Published on May 27, 2026