Hyderabad: Elections are all about money and no one knows it better than the Income Tax department. But what do the taxmen do when the candidates themselves come from Income Tax “backgrounds”? Well, just like they would keep a tab on the poll expenditure of all candidates, the taxmen will keep a close watch on some of their own.
In Andhra Pradesh, there are close to a dozen candidates — mostly family members of senior income tax officials, both serving and retired, and even those who took voluntary retirement — who are in the fray, some contesting Assembly elections while others are aiming for Parliament seats. Some of them are trying their luck for the second or third time.
Contesting on a Telugu Desam ticket from Pamarru constituency in Krishna district is Ms Uppuleti Kalpana, wife of IRS officer and recently-retired IT commissioner U. Devi Prasad. She was with the YSR Congress earlier and switched over to the TD and hopes to win the seat with a huge majority. She is banking on the development work of her party president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Ms Sucharita Daya-sagar, wife of IRS officer M. Dayasagar is contesting from Prathi-padu in East Godavari district. She got a ticket from the YSR Congress.
IRS officer T.S.N. Mur-thy’s wife C. Anuradha, too, is contesting on a YSRC ticket. She is the Lok Sabha candidate from Amalapuram constituency.
Mr A. Suresh, husband of 1994 batch IRS officer and former IT Commissioner T.H. Vijayalakshmi, is contesting on a YSRC ticket. He is a former Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer and is and current MLA from Santhanuthala-padu constituency.
The TD candidate from Yerragondapalem in Prakasam district, Ms B. Ajitha Rao, is wife of IRS officer B. Koteswara Rao.
“All these I-T officers have either worked in the Hyderabad region for a long time or have retired from here. It is quite interesting to see these many candidates from an Income Tax background,” said a senior I-T official, adding that just like they keep tabs on the poll expenditure of all candidates, they will also keep a watch on these candidates.
Bapatla MP Sriram Malyadri is a former I-T Commissioner and he is contesting again, this time for the Legislative Assembly.
Then there is Mr C. Parthasarathy, who is contesting for the Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat on a Jana Sena ticket. Additional commissioner of Income Tax K.J. Rao’s brother too is in fray.
“'There were two more family members of I-T officials who were hoping to get party tickets but were denied at the last minute,” remarked another I-T officer.
