Andhra Assembly polls: Two sisters to fight for MLA seat

Adilabad: In a big surprise to the voters and a rare occurrence in politics two sisters are contesting as political rivals in this elections. The two sisters, Kova Laxmi and Marsakola Saraswati are contesting as candidates of TRS and TD respectively from Asifabad Assembly Constituency reserved for STs. It is the first time two sisters are fighting against each other in the MLA elections in the state.

Laxmi, the elder of the two siblings, and Saraswati are daughters of former tribal welfare minister and prominent Adivasi leader late Kotnak Bheemrao. Both Saraswati and Laxmi are educated and married.

Earlier, both sisters were contested against each other in the elections for sarpanch of Asifabad grampanchyat in 2013 which was won by Laxmi of the TRS.

Speaking to this correspondent, Laxmi said she does not want to indulge in personal attacks against her sister though they were political rivals, instead she prefers criticism based on policies of the rival party and false promises the parties made to the people in the elections.

Saraswati said she too does not want to bring politics to personal level and she was looking at Laxmi as a political rival despite being her elder sister.

Laxmi was elected sarpanch and MPTC and MPP in the past on Telugu Desam ticket but she joined the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in 2010 and now contesting for the first time for Asifabad MLA.

While, Saraswati was senior Congress leader and was elected as sarpanch of Asifabad grampanchayat and was also state joint secretary of AP Mahila Congress and AICC member for some time.

She contested as a TD candidate for Asifabad ZPTC and was defeated by Congress candidate Ajmeera Rekha Naik. Saraswati joined Telugu Desam in 2009 and is contesting on the party's ticket. Laxmi and Saraswati’s brother Kotnak Ramesh contested as a Congress candidate from Adilabad and was defeated by Ramesh Rathod.