HYDERABAD: With the election of TRS general secretary Joginapally Santosh Kumar to the Rajya Sabha, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao hereafter will have his nephew at the national capital to take care of the activities of the proposed Federal Front at national level.
As Santosh gradually emerged as a key leader in the TRS and is now performing the role of party general secretary successfully, the pink party cadres say that this young leader will soon begin coordinating with various regional parties at national level on behalf of the TRS supremo to realise the dream of forming a Front against BJP and Congress.
Further, as the total strength of the TRS in Rajya Sabha has reached six now, Santosh will also be helpful to MP K Kavitha in Delhi in looking after party’s Parliamentary affairs. Many TRS leaders, who have closely observed Santosh, are of the view that this 41-year-oldleader would replicate at the national level the role of T Harish Rao, another nephew of KCR and State Irrigation Minister, who had helped the TRS chief in building the Telangana movement in the State.
In fact, Santosh, son of KCR’s co-brother, has been with the TRS supremo’s family in Hyderabad right from the inception of the pink party in 2001. “Santosh has performed the role of KCR’s Man Friday ever since the party’s inception in 2001. He used to look after the party’s internal matters. Now, he is successfully performing the responsibilities of party general secretary by maintaining good rapport with leaders of the party at all levels.
I am sure, he will handle the party national affairs in Delhi with aplomb,” a senior minister commented. Santosh who was born in Kodurupaka village of Karimnagar district to Ravinder Rao and Shashikala, moved to Hyderabad for his college education after finishing SSC. He completed his MBA. He is now the personal secretary of the CM. He became Executive Director of T-news in 2012 and is presently the MD of Namasthe Telangana, a Telugu daily.
KCR’s soldiers
Banda Prakash Mudiraj: The president of Telangana Mudiraj Mahasabha and now a member of the RS.
Badugula Lingaiah Yadav: TRS secretary who also got elected to the Upper House