Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu returned to the state assembly on Friday, 31 months after he walked out over what he described as an “insult to his family”. Naidu had vowed to return to the assembly only after becoming the chief minister.

In the recent Andhra Pradesh Assembly election, the TDP won 135 of the 175 seats, while allies Jana Sena and BJP won 21 and eight seats, respectively.

Today, the assembly warmly welcomed Naidu as he took office for his fourth term as Chief Minister.

Naidu had exited the assembly on November 19, 2021 over allegedly disrespectful comments about his wife made by the then-ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) members. Emotional at the time, he left the assembly with folded hands during a debate on women’s empowerment.

“I will not attend this assembly hereafter. I will return to the House only after becoming the chief minister,” Naidu had said, adding that the assembly had become a ‘Kaurava Sabha’, drawing a parallel to the assembly where Draupadi was humiliated by Kauravas in the epic Mahabharata.

In the 2019 state elections, the YSRCP led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, secured a landslide victory, winning 151 out of 175 seats, dominating key districts like Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, and Vizianagaram. The TDP managed only 23 seats.

Naidu’s decision to break away from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and align with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections proved costly, resulting in losses in both the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

From facing a potential end to his 50-year political career to staging a remarkable comeback in both Andhra and the Lok Sabha, Naidu has successfully silenced his critics.

Despite initial setbacks, the TDP formed an alliance with the BJP and eventually emerged as a key player in the NDA, which won a record third term at the Centre. The TDP has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha.