DEARLY VARUN: NARA CHANDRA BABU NAIDU

( నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు) (born April 20, 1950) was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004. He holds the record of being the longest-serving chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.He is also the founder of Heritage Foods. As of August 2009, he is leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly, and the president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Early Life and Political Career

Naidu was born in the Naravaripally village of Chittoor district on April 20, 1950. His father N.K. Naidu was an agriculturist and his mother Ammanamma was a housewife. Naidu did his schooling in Chandragiri and attended college at the Sri Venkateswara Arts College, Tirupati. He did his Masters in Economics from the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. He was working towards a Ph.D. degree at the same university, when he took to politics

He held various positions of office in his college and organised a number of social activities. Following the 1977 cyclone, which devastated Diviseema taluk of Krishna district, he actively organised donations and relief material from Chittoor district for the cyclone victims.

He was elected as a MLA representing the Chandragiri constituency in 1978. He was the youngest Minister in the Cabinet.

Following a popular upsurge in the party, Naidu was unanimously elected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on September 1, 1995. He was again sworn in as the Chief Minister on 11 October 1999 for a second term.

Personal life

Naidu is married to Bhuvaneswari and has a son Lokesh. His father-in-law, the late Mr. N.T. Rama Rao, was one of the most accomplished film actors of Telugu cinema, who later founded the Telugu Desam Party and was also the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.