While the Munugode by-election will be a litmus test for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Congress and the BJP, two little known parties in the State — the BSP, led by former IPS officer R.S. Praveen Kumar, and the YSR Telangana Party of Y.S. Sharmila, daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and sister of current Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy — are making determined efforts to script a new chapter for politics in the State.
Ms. Sharmila, who undertook a marathon padayatra in support of her jailed brother before the bifurcation of A.P., has completed 130 days of another State-wide padayatra covering 1,700 km. Her campaign is primarily focused on winning the confidence of unemployed youth and farmers. She is banking heavily on the legacy of her father, who still commands respect among some sections. She calls herself the ‘daughter-in-law’ of the State. Her husband Anil Kumar, a popular Christian evangelist, hails from Telangana. She also hopes to get the backing of the powerful Reddy community to which she belongs.
Mr. Praveen Kumar, who joined the BSP last August, is popular among students and marginalised communities. His innovative methods, as Secretary, to improve the education system in the Telangana social welfare and tribal welfare residential educational institutions society have won accolades. A Dalit from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, Mr. Praveen Kumar is backed by Swaeroes, a not-for-profit organisation of the past students of the State-run social welfare residential schools of which he is the founding chairman.
