Will the ruling BRS pit an ex-Naxal against a sitting Congress MLA with a Naxal background? Yes. If the BRS sources are to be believed, the ruling BRS is hell-bent on defeating Anasuya aka Sitakka, the sitting MLA from Mulug. Sitakka had won twice despite a BRS tornado and proved her mettle. Through her people-friendly initiatives and easy accessibility, Sitakka has endeared herself to the predominantly tribal voters of Mulug. The BRS wants to unseat her this time around.
BRS sources say that the party is trying to project Bade Nagajyothi as its candidate to take on Sitakka. Nagajyothi, currently the vice chairperson of the zilla parishad, is the daughter of legendary Maoist Bade Nageswar Rao alias Prabhakar. Rao was hugely popular among the tribals in this region and was killed in an encounter. Nagajyothi too had some links with the Left school of thought.
Of late, the BRS leaders are seen giving a lot of importance to Nagajyothi. During his recent visit to the region, KTR has repeatedly mentioned her name and she was made to sit right next to minister Satyavathi Rathod. Though KTR stopped short of announcing her candidature, he said that she was working tirelessly for the uplift of the tribals in the region.
There are two other ticket aspirants in the BRS. They are - District Libraries Association chairperson Govind Naik and former minister Ajmera Chandulal's son Ajmera Prahlad. But it is by now amply clear that the BRS high command's favourite is Nagajyothi. The minister reportedly told the other two aspirants to fall in line and support Nagajyothi. It remains to be seen if Nagajyothi will be able to defeat a well-entrenched Sitakka.
BRS sources say that the party is trying to project Bade Nagajyothi as its candidate to take on Sitakka. Nagajyothi, currently the vice chairperson of the zilla parishad, is the daughter of legendary Maoist Bade Nageswar Rao alias Prabhakar. Rao was hugely popular among the tribals in this region and was killed in an encounter. Nagajyothi too had some links with the Left school of thought.
Of late, the BRS leaders are seen giving a lot of importance to Nagajyothi. During his recent visit to the region, KTR has repeatedly mentioned her name and she was made to sit right next to minister Satyavathi Rathod. Though KTR stopped short of announcing her candidature, he said that she was working tirelessly for the uplift of the tribals in the region.
There are two other ticket aspirants in the BRS. They are - District Libraries Association chairperson Govind Naik and former minister Ajmera Chandulal's son Ajmera Prahlad. But it is by now amply clear that the BRS high command's favourite is Nagajyothi. The minister reportedly told the other two aspirants to fall in line and support Nagajyothi. It remains to be seen if Nagajyothi will be able to defeat a well-entrenched Sitakka.