Man Who Solves Monkey Woes to Get Village Vote

Hyderabad: Residents from Illanda in Vardhannapet mandal in Warangal district, have unanimously announced that they will elect as sarpanch, the candidate who promises to control the rampant monkey menace. This village with 5,400 voters is home to over 20,000 monkeys, four times the human population.

Residents say the monkeys have turned daily life into a nightmare —stealing cooking utensils, damaging homes, and making it unsafe to step outside alone.

"We don't care about new roads or other developments. Just get rid of these monkeys, and you'll have our vote," says Rama Rao, a 60-year-old farmer. Lakshmi, a school teacher, added, "Our children fear going to school alone because monkeys attack them. Whoever controls the monkeys will become our sarpanch."

Attempts to seek help from previous representatives failed. Now, during election season, villagers unite with one voice: "No vote without monkey control."

At Muttapuram in Khammam’s Nelakondapalli mandal, sarpanch-hopeful Ravelly Krishna Rao, a US-returnee, has issued a 21-point manifesto. He has promised to spend `1 crore from his pocket for village development. His promises include freedom from house tax and water bills for five years, monthly health camps with free medicines for the poor, and `2,000 annual scholarships for top students per class.

He has also offered to donate one acre of his land to the Veeranna Swamy temple and improve community facilities, plus `50,000 yearly aid to every temple and other religious places for festivals.

Other tall promises include free Ganesh idols for Vinayaka Chavithi, Sankranti rangoli prizes of `5,000 each), daily annadanam for Ayyappa devotees, Dasara clothes for 100 poor families, sewing machines for 10 women, tricycles for disabled, a private library, mineral water plant for every home, free DJ/mics for weddings, freezers for funerals, and Vaikuntha ratham for cremations.

“This isn't politics; it's a lifelong pledge to our village," Krishna Rao, who returned from the USA, declared in his manifesto. The village of around 2,500 people has 1500 voters.

Locals Lakshmi Devi, 52, and Ravi, 28, added, "The promise of one acre of land to the temple shows heart and generosity of Krishna. Rivals look petty now.” Village elder, the 78-year-old Peddaiah, said: "In 50 years, no one offered their own land."