Naidu fields NTR scion in prestige fight with TRS
HYDERABAD: If there is one assembly constituency in Hyderabad that is attracting the attention of everybody –politicians, political observers, film stars and even bookies – in the ongoing assembly elections in Telangana, it is Kukatpally.
The reason: Nandamuri Suhasini, granddaughter of legendary actor and former chief minister of erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao, has thrown her hat into the electoral ring and is contesting from this constituency on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket.
The 37-year old scion of the Nandamuri family is the first in the third generation of the family to contest elections: her father late Nandamuri Harikrishna, who was killed in a road accident in August this year, was a Rajya Sabha member, a minister in the state cabinet and also a TDP politburo member. Her uncle Nandamuri Balakrishna, a senior actor in the Telugu film industry, is also an MLA from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur.
Suhasini’s entry into the poll battle, a strategic move by TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu just four days before closure of nomination process in Telangana, has upped the stakes. “I am not familiar with political rhetoric. But I assure the people that I will be available to them anytime to solve their problems,” Suhasini said.
Kukatpally had traditionally been a TDP bastion – in the 2014 elections, it was one of the 15 seats won by the party in the 119-member assembly. TDP’s Madhavaram Krishna Rao won the seat with a margin of 43,000 votes but in less than two years, defected to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), along with 11 others. Now, TDP is aiming at regaining its hold in the constituency.
One of the reasons why Naidu chose to field Suhasini from Kukatpally is the concentration of a large number of people from the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, generally referred to as settlers in Telangana. Once a small suburban residential area, Kukatpally has grown into one of the busiest localities of the city.
An estimate made by the Telangana Settlers’ Association, a local organisation, voters from Andhra and Rayalaseema constitute nearly 40% of the 338,000 voters. The TDP hopes these settlers will back Suhasini.
For the TRS, Kukatpally is a prestige fight as Suhasini’s defeat would dent Naidu’s image. TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son and IT minister K T Rama Rao are personally concentrating on this constituency. TDP’s regional rival, the YSR Congress, which polled nearly 22,000 votes in 2014 elections, has openly supported TRS. On Friday, IT minister held road shows here. “Why hasn’t Naidu fielded his son Lokesh from Kukatpally? He knows it is a losing seat. He wants to make Suhasini a scapegoat and prevent her brothers – Jr NTR and Kalyan Ram – from entering politics,” Rao said.
The Congress, which polled 23,000 votes in the last elections, is supporting Suhasini. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to hold a rally in the constituency soon.