VIJAYAWADA: The CPI(M)’s Chigurupati Babu Rao, with Rs 2.4 lakh movable and no immovable assets, stood as the poorest Assembly candidate in Vijayawada for the third time. Babu Rao, who is being supported by the Jana Sena Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, will be contesting for the Vijayawada (Central) constituency on April 11.
According to the affidavit he filed with the election returning officer while filing his papers, the Communist Party of India(Marxist) or CPI(M) candidate has Rs 10,000 in his personal bank account, Rs 2,000 in a separate bank account opened recently for accepting election funds from the public and three insurance policies worth Rs 2,27,710.
Babu Rao’s total movable assets are worth Rs 2,39,710 and he does not possess any immovable property such as plots, flats, and agricultural and commercial lands neither on his name nor his wife.
A student of mechanical engineering who finished a licentiate course from Vijayawada Government Polytechnic College in 1981, Babu Rao served as a corporator thrice and contested for MLA seats twice, in 2009 and 2014.
Winning the Vijayawada (Central) segment is not a walk in the park due to the mixed culture and caste equations that often decide the winner. Babu Rao, a known face for taking the lead when it comes to public issues, have to compete with richer counterparts such as TDP’s Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and YSRC’s Malladi Vishnu. While Bonda Uma declared that his assets are worth Rs 37 crore, Malladi Vishnu declared that his assets are worth more than Rs 15 crore.
Babu Rao seems to have gained the public attention due to his electioneering style. He, in his old motorcycle, campaigned in the constituency and interacted with the people asking them to vote for communist parties so as to bring them to power. “We (communists) have the experience in competing in elections against the bigwigs.
There is a huge need to bring back communists to power as the present government has failed to address the grievances of the poor and left their welfare lurching in the dark. We never lose our existence. This time we have joined hands with the Jana Sena and the BSP as they share a similar ideology with us. That’s going to bring change in poll results,” said Ch Babu Rao.
In his affidavit, Babu Rao also mentioned that 12 cases were filed against him for staging protests against the government policies on various occasions.