Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh, son of CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, is aggressively promoting Visakhapatnam (Vizag) as a prime destination for IT and tech companies, signaling a push to regain ground lost to Bengaluru and Hyderabad decades ago. Lokesh has been inviting corporates to consider Vizag as a clean, safe, and business-friendly alternative to India’s traditional tech hubs.
The move echoes a historical context. In 1995, Chandrababu Naidu, then Andhra Pradesh CM, aimed to make Hyderabad a counter to Bengaluru’s booming IT sector. Despite attracting major investments, Hyderabad eventually went to Telangana after the state bifurcation, leaving Naidu’s vision partially unfulfilled. Nara Lokesh, who witnessed these events as a young boy, now appears determined to realize that vision through Vizag.
Recently, Lokesh invited Rajesh Yabaji, CEO of a Bengaluru-based logistics tech firm, to relocate operations to Vizag. Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s top-five clean city ranking, robust infrastructure, and investor-friendly policies, he presented Vizag as a ready-to-go alternative to congested Bengaluru. Lokesh has consistently leveraged Bengaluru’s challenges—traffic congestion, infrastructure gaps, and policy hurdles—to pitch Andhra Pradesh’s modern IT parks, aerospace policies, and urban planning advantages.
A Stanford-educated leader, Lokesh is positioning himself as both a tech-savvy reformer and political heir-apparent. With Chandrababu Naidu back in power, Nara Lokesh is stepping out of his father’s shadow, orchestrating corporate investments, and showcasing Andhra Pradesh as a future IT powerhouse. His mission to make Vizag a global digital hub appears not just a strategic economic move but a symbolic effort to avenge past setbacks and establish a legacy for the next generation.
