HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi has not won Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency till now. The first election here, in 2008, was won by a Congress candidate. The second, in 2014, was won by Telugu Desam Party candidate Ch Malla Reddy. Of course, Malla Reddy later moved to TRS.
This time, the ruling party in the State has no intentions of losing the seat. It has put its money on Marri Rajashekar Reddy, the son-in-law of Malla Reddy, who, incidentally, cannot fight for reelection as he is has been elected MLA from Medchal, one of the segments in Malkajgiri constituency, and also Minister for Women Development and Child Welfare in Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Cabinet.
Rajashekar Reddy, by his own admission, is from a humble background. Circumstances didn’t allow him to study beyond intermediate but that didn’t stop him from establishing as many as 10 educational institutions in the city.
Speaking to Express, Rajashekar says, “My father Marri Laxman Reddy began his career selling milk in the Bowenpally area. For a long time, our finances weren’t great. I had to halt my education during graduation.”
But things changed after he dropped out. “After discontinuing my education, I decided to help and support my father in his dairy business. We did well after a while. This is when I decided to set up educational institutions, as a social commitment,” he says.
A newcomer in politics, Rajashekar is banking on his experience and recognition he earned while moving around in the constituency over the past five years along with his father-in-law Malla Reddy. “I am not new to the people of Malkajgiri. I have a good relationship with them,” he says.
Rajashekar has been with the TRS for nearly four years now. During this time, he adopted six villages in Medchal district. “I have developed infrastructure in these villages. I am sure the people will recognise my work. I am confident I will win,” he says.
He admits that he has formidable opponents in Congress’ Revanth Reddy and BJP’s Ramachander Rao. But he says he is up for the challenge. “I think I am equipped to win. I know how an MP works,” he says.