For 85-year-old Amaravadi Lakshmi Narsamma, the Huzurnagar byelection is an important platform, as her umpteen grievances from local police to the DGP and all important leaders in the district did not show result. On Monday, on the last date for filing of nominations, the septuagenarian walked up the restricted perimeter along with her family and filed her nomination before the Returning Officer.
“I'm not interested in fighting the election. My only hope is that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao would take note of my problem, through this nomination,” the woman hailing from Chintalapalem mandal said. Handing out printed press notes, with the right thumb impression as her signature, Ms. Narsamma said her late husband, Achyutha Ramashastri, distributed 100 acres of land situated at Vellatoor Gram Panchayat among their 13 children before he passed away in the 1980s.
And in recent years, with the realty business witnessing a boom for the nearby Pulichintala project, the family wanted to sell the lands to the government under land distribution to Dalit scheme, and officials had also taken initial steps. However, local realtors started threatening to sell the lands to them at much cheaper prices, she said. And written complaints to various offices too did not show results, but mounted pressure locally, she wrote. “I am not against the TRS government, as my 10 children get Rythu Bandhu benefit. This is a small and final attempt. I wish the Chief Minister initiates action,” she said. Ms. Narsamma said her husband was part of the Telangana Rebellion between 1940-50 and was also imprisoned by the Nizam’s forces. In 1975, under the Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Act, 1973, he had given away the excess 79 acres land to the government, she said.
