HYDERABAD: An auto-rickshaw driver from Sitaphalmandi, who has been commuting schoolchildren for the last 30 years, will be contesting the ensuing Assembly elections as an independent. He is a past master, in that this will be Arli Sathireddy’s fifth shot at the Secunderabad seat.
He contested for the first time in the 1999 Assembly elections, followed by 2004, and 2018 and a by-election.
“I did not find any job after completing my matriculation. I used to drop school students at Habsiguda. I relished those days as the students would often ask me about many things. I have always kept myself updated about contemporary issues and events by reading newspapers like Deccan Chronicle, he said.
The 69-year-old Sathireddy added, “In 1987, the thought of a creating a union for autorickshaw drivers came to my mind. So we registered the Bharat Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union, which was later renamed as the Telangana Auto Drivers Union (Tadu).”
He is currently the general secretary of Tadu.
“I took part in various agitations and protests against the problems faced by transport workers. I felt there are many sections in society, whose voice is not reaching those in power. Towards this, I decided to contest the elections to represent the poor in the Assembly,” he said on what drove him to test the electoral waters.
“With its overflowing drains, the Secunderabad constituency is the most neglected one in the state. Roads are still narrow, which is in stark contrast to the good roads in other parts of the city,” he said while adding the youngsters in Addagutta and its surroundings are involved in illegal activities as they have no proper employment.
“On top of my agenda is providing good education and basic health services. I am playing my part as an independent candidate, I want to do something good for my constituency,” he said, adding that he has always been encouraged by his wife Vijaya and their three daughters.
