: Having lost once to the firebrand Renuka Choudhary of Congress in 2004, Nama Nageswara Rao of the TDP quickly found his ground and emerged victorious from the Khammam Lok Sabha seat in 2009, trouncing the same opponent by a thumping majority.
As D-Day (April 30) nears, he is cool and confident that the development plank on which he is seeking re-election will help him defeat his opponents who prominently include K. Narayana of the Communist Party of India, Budan Baig Shaik of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and P. Srinivas Reddy of the YSR Congress, apart from a whopping 14 Independents.
As you seek re-election, what is your unique selling proposition that you bring across to the table?
Victory to me did not come overnight as I have already fought once and lost, in 2004. When I defeated my main opponent Renuka Choudhary in 2009 with a whopping majority of over 1.25 lakh votes, I realised the volume of trust that people placed in me. I have strived to deliver in the past five years and I am confident that people know me and trust me enough not to misplace their faith in me.
Do you think merely creating records will help you this time too?
Yes. Think about it. I have been part of the success, the Khammam Lok Sabha going to the Telugu Desam Party for the first time since its birth in the 1980s. I am a son of the soil, a ‘Rytu Bidda’ a ‘Khammam Bidda’, who believes in giving back to society.
Can you expand on the ‘Khammam Bidda’ claim ?
People have seen me since the 80s and know me as a hard worker who does not forget the past, or the promises I make. I can safely claim that no other MP has touched as many villages and mandals in the district and interacted with thousands of people as I have, before I was elected and even as an MP.
What about the Telangana sentiment? Don’t you think people will be inclined to go with the claims of Congress (in this case, the seat went to the CPI on the alliance) and the TRS that they were responsible for getting Statehood to Telangana?
Not at all. If I may be permitted to say so, Khammam seat is like Hyderabad. There is the sentiment per se, but people are more worried about their own security and are all for development.
Who is your primary opponent?
While I can safely say that there is no opponent fighting the elections on my plank of development, I must say that in my view, it is Dr. Narayana of the CPI who will give me a fight.
What about the YSRC represented by P. Srinivas Reddy? Don’t you think he will give you a tough time ?
I don’t think so. The YSRC has its own share of problems.
How far will the Polavaram issue that is raging now, hit the Telugu Desam’s prospects in the district?
Surely people are aggrieved and that’s why our Party is demanding that compensation be paid according to the new Land Acquisition Act. We demand Rs. 10 lakh per acre uniformly to those along both sides of the Godavari, and a job to one eligible member of each family. Alternatively, I have been crusading for a design change, probably a reduction in the height of the dam, to reduce the submersion.
As D-Day (April 30) nears, he is cool and confident that the development plank on which he is seeking re-election will help him defeat his opponents who prominently include K. Narayana of the Communist Party of India, Budan Baig Shaik of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and P. Srinivas Reddy of the YSR Congress, apart from a whopping 14 Independents.
As you seek re-election, what is your unique selling proposition that you bring across to the table?
Victory to me did not come overnight as I have already fought once and lost, in 2004. When I defeated my main opponent Renuka Choudhary in 2009 with a whopping majority of over 1.25 lakh votes, I realised the volume of trust that people placed in me. I have strived to deliver in the past five years and I am confident that people know me and trust me enough not to misplace their faith in me.
Do you think merely creating records will help you this time too?
Yes. Think about it. I have been part of the success, the Khammam Lok Sabha going to the Telugu Desam Party for the first time since its birth in the 1980s. I am a son of the soil, a ‘Rytu Bidda’ a ‘Khammam Bidda’, who believes in giving back to society.
Can you expand on the ‘Khammam Bidda’ claim ?
People have seen me since the 80s and know me as a hard worker who does not forget the past, or the promises I make. I can safely claim that no other MP has touched as many villages and mandals in the district and interacted with thousands of people as I have, before I was elected and even as an MP.
What about the Telangana sentiment? Don’t you think people will be inclined to go with the claims of Congress (in this case, the seat went to the CPI on the alliance) and the TRS that they were responsible for getting Statehood to Telangana?
Not at all. If I may be permitted to say so, Khammam seat is like Hyderabad. There is the sentiment per se, but people are more worried about their own security and are all for development.
Who is your primary opponent?
While I can safely say that there is no opponent fighting the elections on my plank of development, I must say that in my view, it is Dr. Narayana of the CPI who will give me a fight.
What about the YSRC represented by P. Srinivas Reddy? Don’t you think he will give you a tough time ?
I don’t think so. The YSRC has its own share of problems.
How far will the Polavaram issue that is raging now, hit the Telugu Desam’s prospects in the district?
Surely people are aggrieved and that’s why our Party is demanding that compensation be paid according to the new Land Acquisition Act. We demand Rs. 10 lakh per acre uniformly to those along both sides of the Godavari, and a job to one eligible member of each family. Alternatively, I have been crusading for a design change, probably a reduction in the height of the dam, to reduce the submersion.
