Setting a trend for others, V. Shruti Devi, an advocate and a social activist, filed her nomination as the Congress candidate for the Araku Parliamentary constituency without any fanfare on Thursday.
She reached the Returning Officer's office here in a cab from Visakhapatnam alone and had to wait for a few hours for one of her associates to bring nomination papers from Kurupam in Vizianagaram district, her native place.
She is contesting against her father and former Union Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo (TDP) and G. Madhavi (YSR Congress Party). Both Ms. Shruti and Ms. Madhavi, daughter of two-time CPI MLA late G. Demudu are making their debut in electoral politics.
Mr. Deo, a veteran parliamentarian belonging to Kurupam royal family joined the TDP from the Congress just before the elections.
Ms. Shruti told The Hindu that she would make her campaign a low-key affair. “So far I have been travelling by hiring cab online and will visit seven Assembly segments in the ST reserved constituency spread over hilly terrains of the Eastern Ghats in consultation with her party's cadres and candidates for MLA posts,” she stated.
Key issues
Gender justice would be on top of her agenda. Good work done during the UPA rule with the enactment of Forest Rights Act and job guarantee scheme and the failure of the BJP-led NDA government in rolling out GST regime and chaos created post-demonetisation would be highlighted during her campaign.
Ms. Shruti said she would make sincere efforts to improve the livelihood of people of her constituency, if elected.
‘Active in party’
On her decision to contest against her father, Ms. Shruti said she decided to try her luck on the Congress ticket when her father was in the party.
“Probably apprehending denial of ticket he defected to the TDP,” she remarked.
Ms. Shruti said she had been active in the party for several years taking up advocacy over important issues like Forest Rights Act and playing a key role in winning of her father as the Congress candidate from Araku Lok Sabha constituency with a bumper margin in 2009.
