N. T. Rama Rao: Difference between revisions

 

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===Second term as Chief Minister===

===Second term as Chief Minister===

Rama Rao returned to India immediately after his surgery, disputed the claims by Bhaskara Rao and demonstrated his strength by bringing all the MLAs supporting him, which was a majority in the 294-member assembly, to the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s Office).<ref name=”Murty p.48″/> Ramlal did not relent, as a result of which Rama Rao relaunched his ”Chaitanya Ratham” campaign, this time campaigning for the restoration of democracy by mobilizing the support of people and various anti-Congress political parties in the country including the [[Janata Party]] (JP), the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), and the [[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference|National Conference]] (NC). During the one-month crisis, the MLAs supporting Rama Rao were secured in a secret place to avoid [[horse-trading]]. This was achieved with the support of [[Ramakrishna Hegde]], [[Chief Minister of Karnataka]]. Ramakrishna Hegde moved all the TDP MLAs to a Budget Hotel, Das Prakash, in Mysuru ([[Mysore]]), as Congress was known for poaching MLAs regularly. This was the first time in Indian politics that MLAs were secured at a safe place from poaching. Also, due to mobilization of several political parties and the people and due to press, the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unwillingly removed Governor Ramlal and appointed a Congress veteran, [[Shankar Dayal Sharma]], to pave the way for restoring Rao.<ref name=”Murty p.48″/> Sharma put pressure on Nadendla to prove his majority as quickly as possible. The assembly was convened on 11 September four days ahead of deadline. TDP MLAs returned to Hyderabad a day before the session to participate in the assembly. During the three days, the house was forced to be adjourned as the pro Bhaskar Rao MLAs and [[All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen|MIM]] MLAs shouted slogans abused NTR and caused unrest. The pro team speaker resigned and Owaisi was appointed in his place. Bandhs were observed in the state and a Bharat bandh was also called by the national non congress(I) parties which rallied behind NTR. On 16 September, governor invited NTR to form a government. NTR was sworn in along with eight ministers was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan. On 20 September, the first day of assembly session on, NTR proved his majority with support from communist parties, BJP and Janata party. NTR was unable to function like in the past, as he did not have absolute majority of his own. Meanwhile [[Indira Gandhi]] was [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassinated]] and was succeeded as prime minister by her son, [[Rajiv Gandhi]] in November 1984. NTR wanted to go for mid term polls and got an assurance from Rajiv Gandhi on the condition that he will not campaign outside his state in the upcoming national elections. On 23 November 1984, NTR’s cabinet recommended dissolution of the assembly which was accepted by the governor. {{Sfn|Kandula|2021|pp=150-152}} In the ensuing national elections to the [[Lok Sabha]] in December 1984, the Congress, riding on the sympathy wave caused by Gandhi’s assassination, won convincingly all over the country except in Andhra Pradesh where the TDP secured a landslide victory. TDP became the first regional party to serve as the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2019 |title=INKredible India: The story of 1984 Lok Sabha election |url=https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1984-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2190296.html |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=Zee News |language=en |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523044735/https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1984-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2190296.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

the his him a to , Rama Rao relaunched his ”Chaitanya Ratham” campaign, this time campaigning for the restoration of democracy by mobilizing the support of people and various anti-Congress political parties in the country including the [[Janata Party]] (JP), the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), and the [[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference|National Conference]] (NC). During the one-month crisis, the MLAs supporting Rama Rao were secured in a secret place to avoid [[horse-trading]]. This was achieved with the support of [[Ramakrishna Hegde]], of Karnataka. Ramakrishna Hegde moved all the TDP MLAs to a , Das Prakash, in Mysuru ([[Mysore]]), as Congress was known for poaching MLAs. This was the first time in Indian politics that MLAs were secured at a safe place from poaching. Also, due to mobilization of several political parties and the people and press, Indira Gandhi unwillingly removed Ramlal and appointed a Congress veteran, [[Shankar Dayal Sharma]], to pave the way for restoring Rao.<ref name=”Murty p.48″/> Sharma put pressure on Nadendla to prove his majority as quickly as possible. The assembly was convened on 11 September four days ahead of deadline. TDP MLAs returned to Hyderabad a day before the session to participate in the assembly. During the three days, the house was forced to be adjourned as the pro Bhaskar Rao MLAs and [[All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen|MIM]] MLAs shouted slogans NTR and caused unrest. The pro team speaker resigned. Bandhs were observed in the state and a Bharat bandh was also called by the national non congress(I) parties which rallied behind NTR. On 16 September, governor invited NTR to form a government. NTR was sworn in along with eight ministers was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan. On 20 September, the first day of assembly session, NTR proved his majority with support from communist parties, BJP and Janata party. NTR was unable to function like in the past, as he did not have absolute majority of his own.

Meanwhile [[Indira Gandhi]] was [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassinated]] and was succeeded as prime minister by her son, [[Rajiv Gandhi]] in November 1984. NTR wanted to go for mid term polls and got an assurance from Rajiv Gandhi on the condition that he will not campaign outside his state in the upcoming national elections. On 23 November 1984, NTR’s cabinet recommended dissolution of the assembly which was accepted by the governor. {{Sfn|Kandula|2021|pp=150-152}} In the ensuing national elections to the [[Lok Sabha]] in December 1984, the Congress, riding on the sympathy wave caused by Gandhi’s assassination, won convincingly all over the country except in Andhra Pradesh where the TDP secured a landslide victory. TDP became the first regional party to serve as the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2019 |title=INKredible India: The story of 1984 Lok Sabha election |url=https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1984-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2190296.html |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=Zee News |language=en |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523044735/https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1984-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2190296.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Third term as Chief Minister===

===Third term as Chief Minister===

Indian actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (1923–1996)

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996),^[1] often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over four terms. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982, the first regional party of Andhra Pradesh. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures of Indian cinema.^[2] He starred in over 300 films, predominantly in Telugu cinema, and was referred to as “Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarvabhouma” (transl. Universally-renowned star of acting).^[3] He was one of the earliest method actors of Indian cinema.^[4] In 2013, Rao was voted as “Greatest Indian Actor of All Time” in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted on the occasion of the Centenary of Indian Cinema.^[5][6]

Rama Rao has received numerous honours and accolades, including the Padma Shri in 1968. He also received three National Film Awards for co-producing Thodu Dongalu (1954) and Seetharama Kalyanam (1960) under National Art Theater, Madras,^[7] and for directing Varakatnam (1970).^[8] Rao garnered the Nandi Award for Best Actor for Kodalu Diddina Kapuram in 1970, and the Inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu in 1972 for Badi Panthulu.^[9][10]

Rama Rao made his debut as an actor in a Telugu social film Mana Desam, directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. he got his breakthrough performances in Raju Peda (1954)^[10] and gained popularity in the 1960s when he became well known for his portrayals of Hindu deities, especially Krishna, Shiva and Rama,^[4] roles which have made him a “messiah of the masses” and a prominent figure in the history of cinema.^[4][11] He later became known for portraying antagonistic characters and Robin Hood-esque hero characters in films.^{[12][13][14][15]} He starred in such films as Pathala Bhairavi (1951), the only south Indian film screened at the first International Film Festival of India,^[16][17] Malliswari (1951), featured at Peking Film Festival, Beijing, China,^[18] the enduring classics Mayabazar (1957) and Nartanasala (1963), featured at the Afro-Asian Film Festival that was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.^[19] All the four films were included in CNN-IBN‘s list of “100 greatest Indian films of all time”.^[20] He co-produced Ummadi Kutumbam, nominated by Film Federation of India as one of its entries to the 1968 Moscow Film Festival.^[12][21] Besides Telugu, he has also acted in a few Tamil films.^[22]

He served four tumultuous terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1995. He was a strong advocate of a distinct Telugu cultural identity, distinguishing it from the erstwhile Madras State with which it was often associated.^[23] At the national level, he was instrumental in the formation of the National Front, a coalition of non-Congress parties which governed India in 1989 and 1990.^[24]

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was born on 28 May 1923 in a Telugu Hindu agrarian family to Nandamuri Lakshmaih and Nandamuri Venkata Ramamma,^[1] in Nimmakuru, a small village in Gudivada taluk of Krishna district, which was a part of the erstwhile Madras Presidency of British India. He was given in adoption to his paternal uncle because his uncle and aunt were childless. He was first educated by a teacher who came from a nearby village, whom he would attribute his command of Telugu to, as well as his father, an aspiring thespian and patron of the arts. Although children were normally pulled out of school after completing their primary education in that time and place, on account of being the first male child in the family, his father sent him to Vijayawada to continue his education, matriculating in 1940 before studying at SRR & CVR College and completing a bachelor’s degree from Andhra Christian College in Guntur.

After qualifying for the civil service in what was then the Madras Presidency under British India, he took a job as a sub-registrar in Madras Service Commission at Mangalagiri, northeast of Guntur, a much-coveted job that he nevertheless quit within three weeks to pursue a career in acting.^[27][28] He developed a baritone singing voice as a young man.^[4]

In May 1942, at the age of 18, while still pursuing his Intermediate, Rao married Basava Rama Tarakam, the daughter of his maternal uncle. The marriage resulted in twelve children; including eight sons and four daughters, namely: Ramakrishna Sr., Jayakrishna, Saikrishna, Harikrishna, Mohana Krishna, Balakrishna, Ramakrishna Jr., Jayashankarakrishna, Lokeswari, Purandeswari , Bhuvaneswari, and Umamaheswari.^[29]

Tarakam died of cancer in 1985.^[30] In her memory, Rao established the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad, in 1986.^[31] In 1993, NTR married Lakshmi Parvathi, a Telugu writer.^[32] The marriage was childless and lasted until NTR’s death less than three years later. Parvati was the author of NTR’s two-volume biography published in 2004. The first volume, Eduruleni Manishi (transl. Unstoppable person), covers his childhood and his entry into films. The second volume, Telugu Tejam (transl. The radiance of Telugu), deals with his political career.^[33][34]

Rao founded the film studios Ramakrishna Studios in Nacharam in memory of his eldest son, Nandamuri Ramakrishna Sr. who died in 1962.^[35] NTR’s sixth son, Nandamuri Balakrishna, has been one of the leading actors in Tollywood since the mid-1980s. He also started his career as a child artist. NTR’s third daughter, Bhuvaneswari, is married to chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. NTR’s second daughter, Daggubati Purandeswari, is a politician, who has represented the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha and served as a Union Minister. She later shifted her allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[36][37]

Rama Rao died of a heart attack on 18 January 1996 at his residence in Hyderabad, aged 72.^[38] He was cremated, and his ashes were immersed at Srirangapatna by his second wife Lakshmi Parvathi, eight years later, in May 2004.^[39]

Rama Rao started his film career with a walk-on role as a policeman in Mana Desam (1949).^[4] Following this, he appeared in Palletoori Pilla (1950), directed by B. A. Subba Rao.^[40] His first religious film was in 1957, where he portrayed the Hindu god Krishna in the blockbuster film Maya Bazaar.^[41] He played Krishna in 17 films,^[41] including some landmark films such as Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham (1962), the Tamil film Karnan (1964) and Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977). He was also known for his portrayal of the god Rama, essaying that role in films such as Lava Kusa (1963) and Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham (1974) to name a few. He has also portrayed other characters from the Ramayana, such as Ravana in Bhookailas (1958) and Seetharama Kalyanam (1961) among others. He portrayed the god Vishnu in films such as Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam (1960) among others and the god Shiva in Dakshayagnam (1962). He has also enacted the roles of Mahabharata characters, such as Bheeshma, Arjuna, Bhima, Karna and Duryodhana.

In the later half of his career, Rao became a screenwriter. Despite having no formal training in scriptwriting, he authored several screenplays for his own movies as well as for other producers. He also produced many of his films as well as other actor’s films through his film production house National Art Theater Private Limited, Madras and later Ramakrishna Studios, Hyderabad. He actively campaigned for the construction of a large number of cinemas through this production house.^[42] He was influential in designing and implementing a financial system that funded the production and distribution of movies.^[43] He was so dedicated to his profession that he would often learn new things to portray a particular character on-screen perfectly and realistically. At the age of 40, he learnt dance from the Kuchipudi dancer Vempati Chinna Satyam for his role in the film Nartanasala (1963).^[44]

Rao received three National Film Awards for co-producing Thodu Dongalu (1954) and Seetharama Kalyanam (1960) under National Art Theater, Madras,^[7] and for directing Varakatnam (1970).^[8]

Later in his career, he transitioned from portraying princely characters in commercial films to roles featuring working-class heroes who challenged societal structures. These films resonated with a broad audience. Some of these films are Devudu Chesina Manushulu (1973), Adavi Ramudu (1977), Driver Ramudu (1979), Vetagadu (1979), Sardar Papa Rayudu (1980), Kondaveeti Simham (1981), Justice Chowdary (1982) and Bobbili Puli (1982). He also portrayed fantasy roles, his notable film in that genre being Yamagola (1977).^[45] His film Lava Kusa, in which he starred as Rama, collected ₹10 million in 1963. He directed and acted in the hagiographical film Srimadvirat Veerabrahmendra Swami Charitra (1984). He also acted in films such as Brahmashi Viswamitra (1991) and Major Chandrakanth (1993). His last film was Srinatha Kavi Sarvabhowmudu, a biographical film on the Telugu poet Srinatha, which released in 1993.

Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, a politician belonging to Congress (I) contemplated forming a new political party after he was dropped as a minister. He came in contact with NTR, who also expressed his interest to do public service after his 60th birthday. NTR announced the launch of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on 29 March 1982 in Hyderabad in a meeting with the enthusiastic supporters and delegates of the proposed party, which included N. Bhaskara Rao, who by then had resigned from Congress(I). He said that this decision was based on a historic need to rid Andhra Pradesh of the corrupt and inept rule of the Indian National Congress, which had governed the state since its formation in 1956.^[46][47] After general body meeting of party named Mahanaadu in May 1982, he hit the road to tell people of his mission even though elections were several months away. He used a modified Chevrolet van of 1950s for his campaign. A sunroof to climb up for addressing the public along with a public address system and focus lights were some of the modifications to facilitate his marathon tour across the state. The vehicle was named Chaitanya Ratham (Chariot of Awakening) and this style of campaigning became an innovation that was followed by several others later. He attired himself in Khaki pants and bush shirt. He lived his life on the road avoiding guest houses or luxury houses of his fans, even performing daily activities such as shaving, bathing by the roadside. His food was a simple meal prepared by an assistant on the roadside. Eenadu an upcoming Telugu daily supported NTR’s campaign by providing information on local issues for use in NTR’s speeches and by extensive coverage in the paper with reports from a reporter and photographer always accompanying. The paper’s circulation jumped from 2.3 lakh to 3.5 lakh during June – December 1982 coinciding with campaign period.^[48]

In the elections, the TDP allied with the newly formed Sanjaya Vichara Manch (SVM) party.^[49] TDP manifesto projected itself as the real alternative to the Congress (I).^[50] It fielded ordinary persons who had integrity, competence and loyalty as its candidates.^[51] Rao himself decided to contest from two assembly constituencies, Gudivada and Tirupati. In his Chaitanya Ratham, Rao travelled across the state of Andhra Pradesh, criss-crossing all the districts with his son Nandamuri Harikrishna driving the van. He notched up over 75,000 kilometers during his campaign, a distinctive sight with the van’s yellow party flags and banners and Rao sitting on top of the vehicle hailing the crowds.^[52] He campaigned for restoring the dignity of the Telugu people and advocated forming a closer bond between the government and the common people, going into the elections with the slogan, Telugu Vari Atma Gauravam (lit. Telugu people’s self-respect).^[53]

In the AP Legislative assembly election held on 5 January 1983 two months ahead of schedule,^[54] TDP with its alliance partner SVM won a land slide victory by winning 202 out of the 294 seats in the state assembly, with Rao himself winning both the seats he contested.^[55]

Rao was sworn in as the 10th and the first non-Congress Chief Minister of the state on 9 January 1983 with ten cabinet ministers and five ministers of state.^[56]
After one year in office, NTR became known for populist schemes such as subsidised rice at Rs 2 per kg to the poor through public distribution system. He also went about dismantling established political setup such as recommending dissolution of legislative council, dismantling hereditary part time village officers and reducing the retirement age for government employees.^[57] Several of his actions in an authoritative manner caused resentment among several interest groups. In particular government employees strike against reducing retirement age lasted 19 days.^[58]

NTR visited the US for treatment of his health issues during June and July 1984 without nominating an in-charge. He underwent open heart surgery during his second visit. N. Bhaskar Rao, who initiated the idea of regional party and thought he could wield power from behind realised that he was sidelined. Rao engineered a split in the party making use of MLAs who were impacted by the authoritarian rule of NTR. After returning from US, NTR came to know about the actions of Bhaskar Rao and recommended his dismissal to governor to from the cabinet. Meanwhile Bhaskar Rao and three other ministers resigned from the cabinet. Bhaskar Rao met governor and claimed that NTR lost the majority in the house and he had the support of MLAs from the TDP and also from other parties to be able to form the government. Governor of Andhra Pradesh Thakur Ram Lal, sought NTR’s resignation claiming that he lost his majority in the house. Despite NTR’s immediate response to prove his majority by producing the MLAs, Ram Lal dismissed NTR’s government and invited Bhaskar Rao to form the government and prove his majority in 30 days.^[59][60]

During this term, he brought together 14 non Congress(I) parties during Mahanadu held at Vijayawada in May 1983. The meeting called for review of centre-state relations. Subsequent such meetings held in New delhi, Srinagar, Calcutta helped NTR emerge as one of the prominent leaders at the national level.^[61]

Peeved by the unilateral decision of governor in dismissing his government, without giving him a chance to prove his majority, Rama Rao relaunched his Chaitanya Ratham campaign, this time campaigning for the restoration of democracy by mobilizing the support of people and various anti-Congress political parties in the country including the Janata Party (JP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the National Conference (NC). During the one-month crisis, the MLAs supporting Rama Rao were secured in a secret place to avoid horse-trading. This was achieved with the support of Ramakrishna Hegde, Janata party chief minister of the neighbouring Karnataka state. Ramakrishna Hegde moved all the TDP MLAs to a budget hotel, Das Prakash, in Mysuru (Mysore), as Congress was known for poaching MLAs. This was the first time in Indian politics that MLAs were secured at a safe place from poaching. Also, due to mobilization of several political parties and the people and widespread publicity by press, Indira Gandhi unwillingly removed governor Ramlal and appointed a Congress veteran, Shankar Dayal Sharma, to pave the way for restoring Rao.^[60] Sharma put pressure on Nadendla to prove his majority as quickly as possible. The assembly was convened on 11 September 1984, four days ahead of deadline. TDP MLAs returned to Hyderabad a day before the session to participate in the assembly. During the three days, the house was forced to be adjourned as the pro Bhaskar Rao MLAs and MIM MLAs shouted slogans abusing NTR and caused unrest. The pro team speaker resigned. Bandhs were observed in the state and a Bharat bandh was also called by the national non congress(I) parties which rallied behind NTR. On 16 September, governor invited NTR to form a government. NTR was sworn in along with eight ministers was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan. On 20 September, the first day of assembly session, NTR proved his majority with support from communist parties, BJP and Janata party. NTR was unable to function like in the past, as he did not have absolute majority of his own.

Meanwhile Indira Gandhi was assassinated and was succeeded as prime minister by her son, Rajiv Gandhi in November 1984. NTR wanted to go for mid term polls and got an assurance from Rajiv Gandhi on the condition that he will not campaign outside his state in the upcoming national elections. On 23 November 1984, NTR’s cabinet recommended dissolution of the assembly which was accepted by the governor. ^[62] In the ensuing national elections to the Lok Sabha in December 1984, the Congress, riding on the sympathy wave caused by Indira Gandhi’s assassination, won convincingly all over the country except in Andhra Pradesh where the TDP secured a landslide victory. TDP became the first regional party to serve as the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha.^[63]

Meanwhile, in the state, Rao recommended dissolution of the Assembly and called for fresh elections the following year in the state to ensure that the people had a fresh choice to elect their representatives. The TDP again won with a massive majority in those elections, with Rao winning from 3 seats: Hindupur,^[64] Nalgonda^[65] and Gudivada,^[66] thus marking the beginning of his third term as Chief Minister. Senior Leaders of the Congress in the state including former Chief Ministers Kasu Brahmananda Reddy and Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy lost in their constituencies of Narasaraopet and Kurnool respectively to the TDP. Rao completed his five-year term as Chief Minister.^[67]

He altered rural power structures by creating 1104 revenue mandals in place of 305 Talukas to decentralise the rural administration and make it more efficient. Direct elections with reservations for 50% of seats for under priviliged castes and women were held on a party basis. The bill to introduce equal rights to daughters in inheritance became an oct on 10 October 1985 much before such change at the national level in 2005. He banned alcohol sale.He started the practice of registering house site pattas in the name of women and special courts for crimes against women. He transformed Hyderabad into a distinctly Telugu city, by launching Tank bund project and launching the Hussain Sagar Buddha project. He announced political reservations for BCs with 20% quota in mandals. He decided to implement increased reservations from 49 percent to 71 percent based on the recommendation N.K. Muralidhar Rao commission and also impose a creamy layer criteria to exclude the well off. Courts stayed this GO. ^[68]

Several congress leaders and activists tried to stall several initiatives of NTR by filing petitions in courts and courts passed strictures on some. He also revived his film making and acting while the state faced several crisis such as naxal crisis, social conflicts due to increase in reservations, caste conflicts in Vijaywada and Karamchedu. In the December 1989 assembly elections however, he was voted out of power due to a wave of anti-incumbency sweeping the state as a result of which the Congress returned to power.^[69]

Several non Congress(I) parties came together to form National Front on 6 August 1988 largely due to the efforts of NTR. He became its Chairman.^[70] He campaigned extensively for the constituent parties using his Chaitanya Ratham campaigning concept.^[71] This alliance governed India between 1989 and 1990 with support from the BJP. Meanwhile, Rao assumed the position as the Leader of Opposition in the state.

Rao returned to power for a third and final time in the December 1994 state assembly elections with his party in alliance with the Left Front. This alliance won 269 seats in the 294 seat Assembly, with the TDP alone winning 226. The Congress, which once again had multiple Chief Ministers in the state during its five-year rule between 1989 and 1994, won only 26 seats. Rao contested again from Hindupur and won the seat for the third consecutive time,^[64] achieving a rare hat-trick of wins from the same assembly constituency. He also won from another assembly constituency, Tekkali.^[72] In 1995, TDP leaders unhappy with NTR’s wife Lakshmi Parvati’s interference in politics led a revolt in the party against Rao, which led to N. Chandrababu Naidu becoming the CM on 1 September 1995 replacing Rao.^[73] The internal rebellion was triggered by the controversial role of Lakshmi Parvathi, NTR’s second wife, in the party and the government.^[74] Naidu was able to secure the support of the majority of the legislators. Following this, NTR vowed to take revenge against Naidu in an interview with Reuters.^[75] However, NTR died in 1996. His second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi led NTR Telugu Desam Party which was eventually closed and joined INC, later YSRCP.

The NTR National Award is a national award in honour of Rao. It was instituted in 1996 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise notable film personalities for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.^[80] The NTR National Literary Award was instituted by the NTR Vignan Trust, as an annual award to recognise people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to Indian literature.^[81] Dr. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada was established as University of Health Sciences by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and was inaugurated on 9 April by N. T. Rama Rao, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. It started functioning on 1 November 1986.^[82] After the death of Rama Rao, it was decided to rename the university after him, and this was carried out on 2 February 1998.^[83] The university celebrated its silver jubilee from 1–3 November 2011.

Institutions and other establishments founded by Rama Rao:

Election results

Year	Office	Constituency	Party		Votes	%	Opponent	Party		Votes	%	Result	Ref
1983	MLA	Tirupati	Telugu Desam Party		64,688	77.01	Agarala Eswara Reddy	Indian National Congress		17,809	21.2	Won	[84]
		Gudivada			53906	64.94	Katari Satyanarayan Rao			27368	32.97	Won	[85]
1985					49,600	53.64	Uppalapati Suryanarayana Babu			42,003	45.42	Won
		Hindupur			56,599	75.64	E. Adimurty			16,070	21.48	Won	[86]
		Nalgonda			49,788	66.54	Mandadi Ramchandra Reddy			18,201	24.32	Won	[87]
1989		Kalwakurthy			50,786	47.59	Chittaranjan Dass			54,354	50.94	Lost	[88]
		Hindupur			63,715	61.6	G. Soma Sekhar			39,720	38.4	Won	[86]
1994					88,058	74.04	J. C. Prabhakar Reddy			28,008	23.55	Won
		Tekkali			66,200	70.9	Vajja Babu Rao			25,310	27.1	Won	[89]

• Narayan, S. Venkat (1983). NTR: A Biography. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 0-7069-2404-5. OCLC 10432404.
• Kandula (2021). Maverick Messiah : A Politicial biography of N. T. Rama Rao. Penguin India.