KCR Ditches Chopper On Saturdays

Hyderabad: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is a staunch believer in astrology, numerology and sentiment, and his penchant for his “lucky” No. 6 is well-known. But a new sentiment that KCR appears to be following during the ongoing poll campaign has become a subject of heated debate in BRS circles as he is sticking to the number 4 of late, addressing four public meetings a day, heli-hopping from one rally to another. But, come Saturday, he takes a break and if he does get out campaigning then he travels by road to avoid helicopter rides. On November 4, Saturday, when he visited the Konaipally temple to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateshwara before filing his nomination papers, a practice of his since the 1985 elections, he travelled by road. On November 18, again a Saturday, when he visited Cheryala in Jangaon constituency to address an election rally, he travelled by road leaving his party cadres wondering if there was some connection between Saturdays and KCR’s preference to travel only by road on that day.

Politico With A Golden Heart?

‘Barrelakka’ Sireesha, the 25-year-old unemployed woman contesting as an independent from Kollapur in Telangana state, has found an unlikely supporter all the way from Yanam  in the form of former MLA and minister from Puducherry, Malladi Krishna Rao. Moved by Sireesha’s determination, Rao reportedly dashed off a cheque for '1 lakh to help her with her election expenditure, with a promise of another '5 lakh for post-poll costs. Not just that, he called on all politicians from AP, Telangana state and Puducherry to step up and assist Sireesha as she takes on the BRS, Congress and the BJP.  To prove his point, Rao is set to visit Kollapur on November 27 and join her campaign.

CM'S Special Gate Only For Him

The gates on the divider right opposite the Pragati Bhavan, which were erected to make way for the seamless movement of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s convoy, has now become a cause for concern. Though several Union ministers touring Telangana state for the election campaign and staying in a star hotel opposite Pragati Bhavan are constantly moving in the same area, the gates are not open for them, resulting in circuitous routes, traffic snarls, and more than anything else, “headaches” for the police who are being forced to deploy additional forces to ensure the smooth passage of these Union ministers and their party’s senior colleagues.

Babus Lament On Future Of Office Photos

When the model code of conduct came into force in the run-up to the November 30 elections in Telangana state, the pictures of the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues in government offices were promptly taken down. Now the question doing the rounds among officials is that if they will be placing the old ones back on the walls after the elections, or if a new face will grace their offices. Then there is also the question if the CM’s picture remains the same, will there be hurried replacements of some ministers? To each, her own problem.

Uraban Voter Want Their Freebites Too!

No matter how hard the Election Commission tries to prevent freebie distribution, it’s hard to stop it from happening. Take the case of the former undivided Nizamabad district. A seasoned politician’s supporters are distributing pressure cookers while his opponent is distributing gold nose studs to women. But then what use is a brand-new pressure cooker by itself? This question apparently was considered and soon with the pressure cooker came one kg of mutton so the recipient family could cook up a feast. But then, voters in urban areas are reportedly unhappy as the goodies are not reaching them while in rural areas, given the nature of smaller communities, they are being delivered with sincerity. The urban-rural divide comes up in various forms these days.

Balakrishna Eats Humble Pie

There is always a twist in the tale. This is something actor Nandamuri Balakrishna knows only too well. But when the twists happen on the political field, then it is a different display altogether. This once-vocal critic of Pawan Kalyan’s political endeavours, who once famously said “Politics cannot be everyone’s cup of tea. Amitabh failed and Chiranjeevi failed. But our blood and breed are different, and politics are only for us. I don’t know who Pawan Kalyan is,” was seen the other day wearing a Jana Sena party scarf with Pawan Kalyan’s picture on it. Balakrishna then went on to shower praises on Pawan Kalyan, now that his TD, and the Jana Sena parties have become allies. But Balakrishna, just like actor Pawan Kalyan, is used to twists in the plot and left many wondering how eating humble pie in politics is a regular thing.