Generational family ties are the key to the electoral scene in Telangana as the State goes to polls on November 30. At least 20 leading candidates with dynastic legacy are in the fray and these dynasty ties are not limited to one party. Some family ties overflow to the other parties as well.
From fathers to sons and daughters, from uncles to nephews and nieces, politics is a ‘relative’ matter for many families in Telangana.
The major focus is on the family of Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao who is contesting from his home turf of Gajwel and Kamareddy. His son and Minister K.T. Rama Rao is contesting from Sircilla. The CM’s nephew T.Harish Rao is contesting from Siddipet on the party ticket.
How the families expand their turf and hold on to it is best exemplified by this family from Makhtal in Narayanpet. Chittem Parnika Reddy is the Congress candidate from Narayanpet. Parnika is the grand-daughter of Chittem Narsi Reddy, who represented Makthal constituency and was killed in a Naxalite attack on Independence Day in 2005. Her father, Chittem Venkateshwar Reddy, was also a victim of that attack. She is the niece of D.K. Aruna, a BJP aspirant for Lok Sabha seat. Her uncle C. Ram Mohan Reddy is testing his luck on a BRS ticket from Makhtal.
The clout that a family can have is on display in Vemulawada. It was the turf of Rajeshwara Rao, a Communist party leader who represented the seat for six terms. Then his son, Chennamaneni Ramesh Rao, held the seat, the last time as a Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS) representative. In this election, the contestant from the family is Chennamaneni Vikas, the son of former Maharashtra Governor and BJP leader Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao. Mr.Vikas got the ticket for Vemulawada although Tula Uma was named as candidate earlier by the BJP.
The Rangareddy district is named after K.V. Ranga Reddy, a freedom fighter. His nephew Marri Chenna Reddy was the chief minister for two terms. Mr. Reddy’s son Marri Shashidhar Reddy is a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Sanathnagar. Mr.Shashidhar Reddy’s son Aditya Reddy was part of the drafting committee of Congress manifesto.
D. Sridhar Babu who also helped draft the Congress manifesto and is contesting from Manthani is the son of D.Sripada Rao, a former speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly killed by Naxalites. Mr.Sridhar Babu has carried on his legacy by getting elected for four times from Manthani, a seat once represented by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi got elected six times to the Lok Sabha. His son Akbaruddin Owaisi is a candidate from Chandrayangutta which he won last time as well. Mr.Akbaruddin’s son Nooruddin was expected to be fielded from Bahadurpura Assembly constituency but he filed his papers as a back-up in Chandrayangutta showing that the family legacy will continue for the third generation.
Another Congress patriarch K.Jana Reddy’s son Jaiveer Reddy is contesting from Nagarjunasagar constituency. Jana Reddy was elected for the first time on a Telugu Desam ticket in 1983 from Chalakurthi in Nalgonda district. The legacy continues in his family and dozens of other families which have turned politics into fiefdoms of influence and power.
