KCR STILL POOR MAN'S HERO
It is not uncommon in the run-up to the elections to see people in villages band together, and express support to a particular candidate in the fray. Some villages pass unanimous resolutions to support this or that candidate, quite often with some encouragement from that particular politician’s followers. In Kamareddy constituency this time, around 10 gram panchayats not only said yes to this practice, but in some of these the people even collected money to fund the nomination, Rs 10,000, so their hero, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao doesn’t have to foot the bill. Not that he needs such help, but the gesture got everyone talking as KCR has decided to contest from Kamareddy too in addition to Gajwel where he won the last elections from.
JAGGA AND REVANTH CONTINUE AS FRENEMIES
Friends, enemies, frenemies. They are all the same when it comes to politics. Case in point? Congress MLA from Sangareddy, T. Jagga Reddy and TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy. Jagga Reddy, known for his periodic outbursts and criticism of his fellow party leaders, was for some time in the midst of swirling rumours that he was all set to leave the party and join the BRS. He even went talked about “the TD culture” in the Congress, a direct reference to Revanth Reddy who was in the TD before moving to the Congress. That there is no love lost, or at least, there is some serious frenemity between the two is no secret, especially among the party circles. But, the other day, Revanth said it was all like the story of the famous Bachchan-Shatrughan Sinha starrer from yesteryears — Dostana — where the protagonists start as friends, fight with each other, and then get back as friends. Politics right? Anyone can be a friend, an enemy, a frenemy, or something in between as long as it serves the purpose of winning an election.
DOCTORS ENTER THE POLITICAL FRAY
Oh, you know how it is, I wanted to be an actor, but ended up as a doctor. Everyone has heard of something like this, but a bunch of doctors from the former unified Karimnagar and Warangal districts, is taking this a step forward, throwing their names into the bubbling political mix of ticket seekers to contest the elections. After all, one of their ilk, Dr S. Sanjay Kumar, is an MLA from Jagtial. So, jumping in to try their luck, and hoping they have the right prescription to make it successfully into politics, are Dr Ch. Vikas Rao from Vemulawada, Dr K. Sanjay from Korutla, Dr B. Shravani from Jagtial, Dr K. Satyanarayana from Manakondur, Dr Balmoori Venkat Rao from Huzurabad, and Dr J.N. Venkat from Korutla. Similarly former IMA state president Dr Kali Prasad Rao is planning to contest from Parkal against Dr Vijay Chander Reddy who too has similar plans for the same constituency, while Dr Jatoth Ramachandru Naik and Dr Lakavath Lakshminarayana Naik are planning to try their luck from Dornakal and Palakurthy.
POLITICS IS A HONEYTRAP FOR KITH AND KIN
Family takes precedence in politics. This is not news anymore. But then, when one more member wants to jostle his way in, then all hell breaks loose. This is the case with YSRC senior leader Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and a minister, reportedly seeking to expand his family’s political influence within the party. His son Midhun Reddy is an MP from Rajampet, but hackles have risen in the party now with the minister’s brother’s son Sudheer Reddy wanting to get into the “family business”. This brings into question the YSRC’s claims of merit-based leadership, party leaders say and point to other instances of leaders promoting their kin as evidence of all this talk about merit is just, hot air. They point to Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy who wants his son Mohit Reddy to get in, as well as to Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayana Swamy who too are making similar moves.
OFFICERS VIE FOR TEMPLE POSITION
The Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam has become a site for musical chairs of sorts with a lot of pressure on powers that be for the post of the executive officer of the temple. So much so that this is now being seen as a case of a game of musical chairs. After the nine-year stint of K. Ramachandra Mohan from 2013 to 2019, seven officers manned the post. Why these frequent reshuffles is something no one in the administration has an answer to, but word doing the rounds is that it has to everything with the Rs 55 crore sanctioned by the Centre for the temple which has turned the EO position a much sought after post.
FANS KEEP PAWAN KALYAN NEXT TO THEIR HEARTS LITERALLY
Fans have their ways to show how much they love their hero. And in this world of fandom, actor politician Pawan Kalyan pulls his own weight. Recently, one of his fans, Inakoti Raju, married Hema at Doddigunta village of Rangampeta mandal of East Godavari district. The bride and groom wore shawls with Jana Sena symbols and images of the actor and their wedding invitation was printed to resemble Jana Sena party manifesto. The wedding went off well and the young couple’s love for the actor was all the rage at the wedding.