HYDERABAD: This political veteran does not fear any opposition or ‘waves’ and is confident he will win for the fourth time in a row from Nagarajunasagar Assembly constituency. Moreover, he aspires to the post of Chief Minister in the newly carved state of Telangana.
“For me there is no opposition this time, though some people are contesting against me. I don’t see any formidable candidate this time, so my win is already written on the wall,” says 68-year-old Kunduru Jana Reddy.
Despite what the party’s leader Rahul Gandhi said recently, Mr Jana Reddy is staking his claim to be chief minister. “Yes, I am an aspirant. I have rich experience both in politics and administration. There is nothing wrong in aspiring for the post. I think after the elections the Congress high command will take the opinions of all elected MLAs from the region and take a decision. I don’t think Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement about making a woman the chief minister of Telangana will come in my way. I hope the high command realises the situation and takes a decision accordingly,” he said.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has fielded a relatively unknown candidate in Nagarjunasagar constituency — M. Narasimhaiah, the former MLA from CPM Nakrekal. “He is not a local, he is not aware about anything in this constituency so how can he win?" says Mr Jana Reddy dismissively.
The Telugu Desam changed its candidate and fielded a local man instead of Tera Chinnapa Reddy, who lost to Mr Jana Reddy in 2009.
Mr Jana Reddy boasts that he has eliminated the drinking water problem in his constituency. “I got several hundred drinking water supply schemes to my constituency and there is not a single village or habitation now reeling under this problem. There used to be 200 villages without electricity in the beginning of my political career. But as a minister I made it possible to supply electricity even when there are just two to three houses in a habitation. My constituency has the largest area under irrigation compared to any other segment.”
This time he has pledged to establish a government degree college in Nagarjunsagar. There are degree colleges in the private sector and junior colleges, polytechnics, and ITIs in the government sector, but no government degree college. “It will be done immediately after coming to power,” Mr Jana Reddy promises.
