She is a hardcore fan of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and ardent supporter of Jagan. Also, having studied up to SSC in Chittoor is her only link to the town. Well, these ‘qualifications’ seem to be sufficient for YSR Congress Party to consider the name of Saamaanya Kiran for the Chittoor (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
The 35-year old gold medallist in Telugu literature is clearly a dark horse who emerged from nowhere to fight for Chittoor, considered the TDP’s citadel for many decades. Just four months into YSR Congress, she is known for taking the party to the people of Madhira in Khammam district, the constituency with the largest Madiga population.
“Who said I am a stranger? I did my schooling in Chittoor and I know every street in the town”, she hit back, responding to the ‘non-local’ tag being attached to her. “I actually aspired for Madhira seat, but the party wanted me to contest from Chittoor”, Ms. Saamaanya frankly admitted in an exclusive interview with The Hindu on Wednesday, after praying at Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple to invoke divine blessings ahead of filing her nomination. She studied at Hyderabad Central University and currently lives in Khammam district.
Chittoor is no cakewalk for her as the sitting MP N. Sivaprasad (TDP) is a formidable force. This apart, the Assembly segments under Chittoor LS seat have strong rival contenders including the likes of N. Chandrababu Naidu in Kuppam, former Deputy Speaker G. Kuthuhalamma in Gangadhara Nellore, and ex-ministers Galla Arunakumari in Chandragiri and Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu in Nagari. “Even in Madhira, I was prepared to take on veteran leader Bhatti Vikramarka”, an undaunted Ms. Saamaanya said, indicating that she was game for such challenging tasks.
Though worried at the short time available to establish connect with the constituents, she exudes confidence that the ‘Jagan wave’ will help her sail through.
