Driven by a resolute will to carry forward her late husband’s legacy of selfless service as a freedom fighter and sarpanch, Eeda Rathamma, a nonagenarian and former sarpanch, is contesting the gram panchayat (GP) poll from Thummalapalli village in Penuballi mandal of Sattupalli constituency.
Rathamma, who is backed by the main Opposition Congress party, is locked in a keen tussle with the ruling TRS-backed Jonaboina Ramana for the post of sarpanch of Thummalapalli, a seat reserved for BC woman.
Looking agile at an advanced age of 90, Rathamma, who served as sarpanch of the village for two terms in the past, is keen on winning the January 25 GP election to keep the legacy of her husband Eeda Chennaiah, a valiant freedom fighter, alive.
The nonagenarian entered the electoral race to honour the wishes of the staunch followers of her husband, who still enjoys a hero image in the village by virtue of his brave fight against the autocratic Nizam regime during the Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle in late 1940s.
Rich legacy
“My husband has left behind a glorious legacy of selfless service as a freedom fighter and as one of the most respected elected representatives by contributing his mite to the all-round development of our village,” recalls Ms. Rathamma.
“I have filed my nomination papers for the sarpanch post following requests from many villagers, mainly the admirers of my late husband,” she says, listing out a slew of concrete development works like strengthening of river bund and irrigation sources initiated during her two tenures as sarpanch in the past.
“I will serve people and further develop our village with renewed vigour with the support of the villagers if elected sarpanch,” she promises sitting in front of her husband’s life size statue on the premises of her house at Thummalapalli.
Ideal leader
“Ms. Rathamma is an ideal leader with a proven track record in developing our village on all fronts,” asserts Naga Pulla Rao, a villager of Thummalapalli.
She groomed her six sons and two daughters as responsible citizens as a great mother and nurtured the development of our village with utmost dedication as sarpanch in the past, recounts another villager. She performs the household chores on her own, maintains proper diet and leads an active lifestyle serving people around her with great affection, he extols.
