HYDERABAD: Fifty-eight per cent of newly-elected MLAs have graduate or higher qualifications. An analysis of their affidavits by Express found that of the 119 persons who won the Assembly polls, 43 are graduates, 26 are post graduates, 2 hold PhDs, 27 possess a diploma or have passed intermediate and the rest have received schooling till at most Class X.
Eleven have degrees in law, 9 are engineers and 5 are doctors—including Dr M Sanjay Kumar who was elected from Jagtial and Dr Anand Methuku from Vikarabad, who hold masters in ophthalmology and surgery, respectively.
Chennamaneni Ramesh from Vemulawada and Gadari Kishore Kumar from Thungathurthy hold PhDs from Humboldt University and Osmania University respectively.
Several of the leaders are from elite national and international colleges including Osmania University, University of Hyderabad, Kakatiya University, Gulkbarga University, Kakatiya Medical College and New York University.
Though the qualifications of the leaders seem impressive and is even higher than in a few States with good development indicators such as Kerala, Gujarat and Goa, the number of MLAs with graduation or above is 61 per cent in Karnataka, 68 percent in Andhra Pradesh, 65 per cent in Odisha, and 60 per cent in Punjab. Only 5 of 24 MLAs in Greater Hyderabad hold degrees
The qualifications of elected representatives often becomes a talking point, especially among the urban crowd. Ironically in Telangana, while many backward and rural areas have MLAs who are well qualified, of the 24 Assembly constituencies under Greater Hyderabad limits, only 5 MLAs hold degrees. They are from Amberpet, Khairatabad, Musheerabad, Secunderabad Cantt and Quthbullapur Assembly constituencies.
While Kaleru Venkatesham and G Sayanna, MLAs from Amberpetand and Secunderabad Cantt respectively, hold law degrees; Muta Gopal from Musheerabad has a BA degree; Danam Nagender from Khairatabad, an MA; and KP Vivekanand from Quthbullapur, an engineering degree.
Of the 19 other MLAs from Greater Hyderabad region, 10 have passed intermediate, 8 have received school education up to a maximum of Class X and one MLA is literate, but not formally educated.
Did not study to be an MLA!
Eleven members have degrees in law, nine are engineers and five are doctors—including Dr M Sanjay Kumar who was elected from Jagtial and Dr Anand Methuku from Vikarabad, who hold masters in ophthalmology and surgery, respectively. Chennamaneni Ramesh from Vemulawada and Gadari Kishore Kumar from Thungathurthy hold PhDs from Humboldt University and Osmania University respectively.