Telangana polls: All in the family

Hyderabad: From Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy, several political families have two or more of their members contesting the Assembly elections scheduled on November 30.

Leaders of different parties, dominating the political scene for decades, have managed to get tickets for their kin.

This phenomenon runs across the parties. Interestingly, members of some political families are in rival parties.

The prominent political family is of Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Like the last three elections, KCR, his son K.T. Rama Rao and nephew T. Harish Rao are in fray.

KCR, who is often targeted by both BJP and Congress for family rule, is contesting from Gajwel and Kamareddy seats. His son KTR, who is a key member of the Cabinet and working president of BRS, is seeking re-election from Sircilla for a fourth term. 

Finance and health minister and a key leader of BRS, Harish Rao is contesting once again from Siddipet. He has been representing the seat since 2004.

Interestingly, sitting MLA from Malkajgiri, Myanmpalli Hanumanth Rao quit BRS as KCR refused to give ticket to his son Myanmpalli Rohit from Medak. Though Hanumanth Rao was fielded by the party, he resigned from the ruling party and joined Congress on the precondition that he and his son will get the tickets from Mlakjagiri and Medak respectively.

The Congress party set aside Udaipur resolution of one family one ticket to field both Hanumanth Rao and his son. The party also exempted a few others.

Senior Congress leader and former TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy is once again contesting from Huzurnagar while his wife Padmavathi Reddy is in the fray from Kodad.

In 2018, Uttam Kumar Reddy had won Huzurnagar but his wife suffered defeat in Kodad. However, Uttam Kumar Reddy was fielded in Lok Sabha election in 2018 and following his victory from Nalgonda, he vacated Huzurnagar. The Congress fielded Padmavathi in the by-election but she lost to Saidi Reddy of TRS (now BRS).

Congress leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Bhongir in 2019, is contesting for Assembly from Nalgonda while his brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy is in fray from Munugode.

Interestingly, Rajgopal Reddy managed to get the seat within hours after his return to Congress from BJP. He had quit Congress to join the saffron party last year and resigned from Munugode Assembly seat to force by-election but failed to get re-elected.

Former minister and Congress G. Vinod is contesting from Bellampalle while his brother G. Vivekanand is in fray on Congress ticket from Chennur. Vivekanand was given a ticket immediately after he quit BJP and joined Congress party. Vinod and Vivekanand are sons of senior Congress leader and former union minister late G. Venkatswamy.

Labour minister Malla Reddy is seeking re-election from Medchal and he managed to secure a BRS ticket for son-in-law Marri Rajasekhar Reddy from Malkajgiri.

Some families have their members in rival camps. Senior Congress and former deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha is contesting once again from Andole while brother Ramchandra Raja Narasimha is BJP candidate from Zahirabad.

BRS leader and minister for panchayat raj E. Dayakar Rao is seeking re-election from Palakurthi while his son-in-law Madan Mohan Rao is Congress candidate from Yellareddy

The family of former Congress leader late Chittem Narsi Reddy is divided into three parties. His son C. Ram Mohan Reddy is contesting from Makthal on BRS ticket and granddaughter Parnika Reddy is Congress candidate from Narayanpet. Narsi Reddy’s daughter and former minister D. K. Aruna is BJP vice-president. She plans to contest again from the Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha constituency next year.

Parnika Reddy is daughter of C. Venkateswar Reddy who died along with his father Narsi Reddy in Maoist attack in 2005. Narsi Reddy was then a member of united Andhra Pradesh Assembly