Karimnagar: The land of political stalwarts who rose from the sarpanch position

Karimnagar: If one can describe united Karimnagar, it would be a land of political stalwarts who began their journeys with the Sarpanch post. Many from the district rose to become MLAs, ZP chairmen, ministers and speakers, playing their own roles in state politics.

Of note is for Speaker Duddilla Sripada Rao, who served as the Sarpanch of Dhanuvada in Kataram mandal of the old Karimnagar district and was elected as an MLA in 1983, 1985, and 1989. He was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly until 1995. After the death of Sripada Rao, his son Duddilla Sridhar Babu Manthani won as an MLA and now holds the IT Minister post under the Congress government.

Notably, Desini Chinna Mallaiah became the Sarpanch of his native Bommanapally in the joint Karimnagar district in 1957 and won twice. He was unanimously elected as Sarpanch until 1978. He remained as Sarpanch of that village for a total of 21 years. He was first elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Indurthi assembly constituency in 1978 on a CPI party ticket. He lost in the 1983 elections but then won hat-tricks from the same constituency in 1985, 1989, and 1994.

Former MP Captain Laxmikantha Rao from Huzurabad area served as the village sarpanch of Singapur from 1981 to 1984. He first won as an MLA in 2004 and became a minister in 2006 and is currently a Rajya Sabha MP. His son, Husnabad MLA Vodithela Satish Kumar, served as the village sarpanch of Singapur from 1995 to 2001. He also won the 2014 and 2018 elections as Husnabad MLA.

Velichala Jagapa Thirao, who won Karimnagar MLA 1989 as an independent candidate, had previously served as the Gundi Sarpanch of Ramadugu Mandal. Adepally Mohan, who served as Sarpanch of Manakondur twice, later won as ZC TC and became the Chairman of Zilla Parishad. He won as MLA from Manakondur constituency in 2000 and served as the government whip in the then Congress government.

KV Rajeshwar Rao continued as Sarpanch of Mogilipet in Mallapur mandal from 1950 to 1981 getting elected unanimously and became the Chairman of Gar Zilla Parishad in 2004.

Suddala Devaiah of Antargaon, Jagtial Mandal was elected as Sarpanch in 1983. He won the direct election as the Chairman of ZP in 1985. He won the Nerella MLA seat in 1994 and 1996 and served as a State Minister.

Nyalakonda Ramkishan Rao of Gangadhara continued as the Sarpanch and Vice President of the Samiti till 1985. He won as the MLA of Choppadandi for two terms and became a minister in 1965.

Juvvadi Ratnakar Rao of Thimmapur in Dharmapuri mandal won as the Sarpanch twice.

He served as the President of Jagityala Samiti from 1981 to 1967. He won as the MLA from Buggaram in 1989, 1990, and 2004 and served as the Endowment Minister in the YSR cabinet.