Athram Sakku’s gain may become Rekha Naik’s loss
ADILABAD: Asifabad’s Congress MLA Athram Sakku, who belongs to Adivasi community, joining ruling TRS may mar the prospects of Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik getting a berth in the Cabinet when the TRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decides to further expand it. While Sakku belongs to Adivasi community, Rekha Naik hails from Lambada community.
In the district, Adivasis are in the majority and as their vote bank is important in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the TRS chief may try to accommodate Sakku in the Cabinet.
After she won as an MLA from the constituency for the second time, there was a speculation Rekha Naik may get a Cabinet berth under tribal quota when it is expected to be expanded after the Lok Sabha elections.
In the last one and half years, Athram Sakku was in the thick of the action during the Adivasi and Lambada agitations and several cases were also filed against him. In Asifabad constituency, dominated by Adivasis, Sakku won with 176 votes majority against the TRS’ Adivasi candidate Kova Laxmi in the recent Assembly elections.
Though Athram Sakku’s arrival will help TRS in winning the Adilabad Parliamentary seat, it may also lead to group politics. Recently Kova Laxmi openly opposed the move to welcome Sakku into the pink party fold and organised a meeting with her followers. They passed resolution against his entry in the party.
Laxmi, who is said to enjoy a larger following than Sakku, also submitted the resolution letter to the party’s constituency in-charge.