Kavitha sets sights on Siddipet in new political offensive

Soon after announcing her decision to chart a new political course by exiting the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), MLC K. Kavitha has set her sights on Siddipet constituency, the political stronghold of her cousin and senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao.

According to sources, Ms. Kavitha is keen on making Siddipet her political destination and directly challenging Mr. Harish Rao on his home turf, widely regarded as one of the safest seats for the BRS. Siddipet holds strong political and emotional significance for the party, having been represented for decades by BRS founder and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao before he quit the Telugu Desam Party to launch the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).

Siddipet constituency has been the stronghold of Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao as he was MLA for five times from 1985 before he resigned in 2004 after winning it. His nephew T. Harish Rao has been representing it since 2004 winning the bypoll.

Ms. Kavitha has reportedly told her close associates that she intends to contest from Siddipet and defeat Mr. Harish Rao, signalling her determination to establish herself in a constituency that the BRS considers impregnable. She believes that making an electoral impact in Siddipet would also confer the legacy linked to Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Sources said Ms. Kavitha is of the view that Mr. Harish Rao played a key role in shaping the negative image the BRS leadership acquired during its tenure in power and thereafter. She has openly alleged that while Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao faced public criticism and corruption allegations, it was Mr. Harish Rao who accumulated wealth and exercised disproportionate influence within the party and government.

Ms. Kavitha has also levelled serious charges against Mr. Harish Rao, branding him a corrupt politician and holding him responsible for what she described as the ‘Kaleshwaram fiasco’. In addition, she has blamed him for the failure of PRLIS.