Will she be Smriti Irani of Telangana?

Will she be the Smriti Irani of Telangana? This is the question that the political observers are posing about BJP state spokesperson Rani Rudrama. She has been pitted against the second most important leader of the BRS – KTR in Sircilla for the upcoming assembly elections in the state of Telangana.

Like Smriti Irani, who is an small-screen actress-turned politician, Rani Rudrama is a TV presenter-turned-politician. Like Smriti, she too is taking on the son of the party chief. While Smriti took on Rahul Gandhi, she is taking on KCR’s son KTR. Both Smriti and Rani Rudrama are combative politicians and powerful speakers.

Sources say that the BJP has planned this move to tie down KTR to his constituency of Sircilla. With dynamic Rani Rudrama breathing down his neck, KTR would not be in a position to campaign for other parties. This would considerably weaken his case as the successor to KCR in the BRS, according to pundits.

Another reason why Rani Rudrama Reddy was fielded from Sircilla is the presence of more women than men in the constituency. While the men are 1.14 lakh, the women are 1.8 lakh. Rudrama would be in a position to make her mark on the women voters. Sources say that the BJP has been giving one task after another to her for the past sometime in Sircilla. This shows that the BJP has a plan for Rudrama..