Why Hinduja Group is betting on Nara Lokesh's ‘AP First’ vision

WHEN YOU OPERATE in manufacturing, especially in mobility and energy, you learn quickly that capital is patient, but confidence is not. Investors can handle complexity; what they struggle with is uncertainty. Over the years, I have met many public leaders across India and globally. Few combine clarity of intent with an ability to listen and act.

In Andhra Pradesh, Nara Lokesh stands out as a leader who approaches industry not as a transaction, but as a relationship built for the long term. His vision and capability are manifested in the fact that he holds information technology, electronics and communications, real-time governance and human resources development in the Andhra Pradesh government.

Our association with Andhra Pradesh goes back many years, starting in the 1990s when we conceptualised a 1,040MW thermal power plant. More recently, we interacted closely with the present AP leadership in their last term, 2014-2019, when the state was positioning itself as a competitive destination for industry. In that term, what we valued most was predictability: a government that understood that factories are not “announcements” but ecosystems—land, utilities, local permissions, workforce, vendor networks, logistics and, above all, speed in resolving bottlenecks. Lokesh brought an unusual openness to that engagement. He was accessible, direct and unafraid to ask the right questions: what is stuck, why is it stuck, and what does it take to unlock it?

That same approach became even more evident in the current term (2024 onwards), when he played a pivotal role in reviving our bus manufacturing facility at Mallavalli near Vijayawada. It was an investment that had been envisioned to build both conventional diesel buses and electric buses through Switch Mobility. The unit’s foundation stone had been laid in March 2018, with an expected capacity of around 4,800 buses annually, but the project remained stalled for years amid local and administrative hurdles.

What changed the momentum was not a grand event, but a simple act of leadership. Lokesh invited our family for a breakfast meeting in December 2024. That conversation was not about optics—it was about problem-solving. Within a short time, the roadblocks were cleared and the facility was inaugurated in March 2025. In manufacturing, this is what “ease of doing business” really means: not slogans, but the capacity to convene stakeholders, cut through friction, and make outcomes happen.

The second pillar of our engagement with the state has been energy. The Hinduja Group owns and operates a 1,040 MW (2×520MW) thermal power plant at Palavalasa in the Visakhapatnam region. The project has had a long and complicated journey, with significant delays and legal and regulatory issues over time. What is encouraging today is that this asset is not being viewed as “legacy infrastructure”, but as a platform for responsible expansion and improved competitiveness. Andhra Pradesh’s industrial ambition will require reliable baseload power alongside renewables, and the direction of policy is clearly towards ensuring energy security without losing sight of sustainability. In November 2025, the Hinduja Group publicly outlined an intent to expand the Visakhapatnam power plant capacity by 1,600MW, alongside renewable projects in Rayalaseema.

This is where Lokesh’s “AP first” mindset matters. He thinks in systems: how energy, logistics, skilling and mobility reinforce each other. His emphasis on electric mobility is not limited to manufacturing; it extends to creating enabling conditions—charging infrastructure, fleet adoption and a practical transition path for public transport. The same 2025 announcements also spoke of a statewide EV charging network and EV manufacturing in Mallavalli, indicating a holistic view of the ecosystem rather than isolated projects.

At Ashok Leyland, we build for India’s future—safer buses, cleaner mobility, stronger supply chains, and world-class manufacturing. For that, we look for partners in government who see industry as a force multiplier for jobs and opportunity. Lokesh’s willingness to listen, his comfort with detail, and his bias for execution create that confidence. He engages with industry in a way that signals continuity. Lokesh’s message is clear: if you invest in Andhra Pradesh, the state will invest back—in trust, in time and in long-term partnership.

In the end, leadership is measured not only by vision, but by what gets done on the ground. Our experience has been that Lokesh brings both.

The author is executive chairman, Ashok Leyland.