Country’s biggest LS constituency Malkajigiri to witness keen contest

With a diverse population comprising large numbers of middle-class and educated voters, 40 per cent of them from Seemandhra, it has become the most sought after Parliamentary constituency in Telangana. Not surprisingly then, two former civil servants — a former IAS officer and a former IPS officer — have locked horns in what promises to be an interesting tussle in a multi-cornered contest.

Dr N. Jayaprakash Narayan, a bureaucrat-turned-politician leads the pack along with former director-general of police V. Dinesh Reddy, who is testing his political waters as an YSR Congress (YSRC) candidate. Dr Nararyan, on the other hand, heads the “Lok Satta”, which he had floated after quitting the civil services 16 years ago. Originally, Lok Satta was working for societal reforms before it became a full-fledged political party in 2006.

With “new politics for a new generation” as his motto, the optimist-politician said there was growing public belief that honest politics is possible. “We are not luring people with freebies nor are we offering them any inducements. But, I can see tremendous enthusiasm everywhere,” says the 58-year-old, battle-scarred Dr Narayan, who is the lone MLA of his party representing Kukatpally in the city.

This high-profile constituency is currently represented by Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana, who is seeking re-election on a Congress ticket. Others who are in the fray include TDP-BJP combine’s Malla Reddy, who owns a string of educational institutions in the city, Professor K Nageshwar, a respected journalist, political commentator and former MLC who is contesting as an independent candidate and Dr Sudha Kiran, grandson of former prime minister late P.V. Narasimha, who has been fielded by Aam Aadmi Party. Interestingly, in stark contrast to the situation elsewhere, the “Telangana sentiment” is minimal in Malkajigiri. In fact, the concerns over safety, security, education and job opportunities for Seemandhra settlers are among the key campaign issues.

Dr Narayan instantly connects with the youth and gets into conversations with them at roadside hotels with his simple and unassuming style. And unlike the archetypical politician, he does not move around in a convoy of vehicles. He prefers to meet people in small groups and interact with them about their problems, dreams and aspirations. The former bureaucrat said: “Dharma is with us. This election is a battle between Dharma and Dhana (money) politics. I know we are winning and Malkajgiri is going to create an even bigger history now than Kukatpally did in 2009. People will see the genuine change they seek.”

Stating that he had chosen Malkajgiri because the rest of Andhra Pradesh was still not ready for new politics, he said: “In Malkajgiri, 80 per cent are young and educated and will not be swayed by money-power, caste or religion.”

Before floating his own party, Dr Narayan, who is now an admirer of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, had served as a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) for implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme (CMP) from July 2004 to August 2006. He was also a member of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission constituted by the UPA government in September 2005.

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