AP ZPTC Race: Will it Be Family First, Grassroots Workers Last

About 31 election-related incidents in 13 districts on October 22, including 22 incidents involving violence or public disorder and nine involving the snatching or tearing of nomination papers for MPTC and ZPTC elections, as well as the filing of poll-related cases in courts by the YSRCP, have been making headlines.

Such stories are good enough for newspaper headlines. But the real story is that these elections are not just a contest between the TDP-led NDA and the YSRCP. In reality, they are a test for established leaders seeking to successfully launch their political heirs and maintain their families’ influence over rural areas, which are the real vote banks for these leaders.

There are many leaders in both the TDP and the YSRCP who are close to 70 years of age and have children waiting to enter the political arena. The general pattern in Indian politics is that no political leader wants to retire. At the same time, they want to promote their heirs, including women aspirants within their families.

Women matter in these local body elections as they constitute a substantial share of the electorate, and local government is an important route into public life. But in many political families, established leaders give preference to their male successors rather than encouraging women within their families.

According to official figures, AP has 2.81 crore eligible voters, including 1.43 crore women voters. Even where women candidates are encouraged, the unfortunate reality on the ground is that men in the family play a dominant role in decision-making and sideline women leaders.

During the ongoing electoral process, it is said that the wives, daughters and daughters-in-law of some prominent leaders from all political parties are aspiring to become chairpersons of ZPTCs. This tendency is said to be more pronounced in the families of TDP, Jana Sena and BJP leaders. With the NDA partners promising to give more seats to women candidates to honour their commitment to reservations for women and BCs, SCs and STs, the race has reached its peak.

For example, four members of the family of Botsa Satyanarayana, the YSRCP Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, have filed nominations for the ZPTC elections from four different mandals. His daughter, Botsa Anusha, is contesting from Bondapalli; his daughter-in-law, Pujitha, from Garividi; his sister, Venkatalakshmi, from Gurla; and his nephew, Botsa Chaitanya, from Pusapatirega. All four have filed nominations as YSRCP candidates in Vizianagaram district.

Similarly, the daughter-in-law of senior TDP leader K. Kalavenkat Rao, the daughter of another senior leader, Chintamaneni Prabhakar, and Paritala Sriram, son of slain TDP leader Paritala Ravindra, are in the race for the ZPTC chairman’s post.

Other political heirs in the race include former MLA Pilli Anantha Lakshmi, who has filed her nomination for the Kakinada Rural ZPTC seat. Former Amalapuram MP Chinta Anuradha was also reported to be entering the contest from K. Gangavaram, while the wife of former Eluru MP Maganti Babu is the likely candidate from Eluru district.

To what extent the promotion of political heirs will help in the development of rural areas remains to be seen. It will certainly help the parties claim that they are providing greater opportunities to youth and women. However, young people and women who have been the flag-bearers of their parties may not be so fortunate as to make it to positions of power.

The leaders would argue that promoting their family members would help strengthen the party’s organisational network, which could help them in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Real grassroots workers rarely get a chance to occupy such posts. Access to political opportunities often depends on family background, caste equations, perceived winning chances and long-standing public presence. The MPTC and ZPTC polls would help leaders test their hold over rural areas.

The fight between NDA and YSRCP candidates is going to be tough, if the number of nominations filed is any indication. TDP candidates filed 1,055 nominations, while the YSRCP accounted for 1,092. Jana Sena filed 178 nominations and the BJP 111, as of October 24.

But the moot question remains: Can women ZPTC members, whether from political families or among party workers, take independent decisions, question officials and ask the government to undertake development works they consider important, or will they be overshadowed by senior family members? They should not be intimidated by male members of their families, and political parties should look beyond immediate electoral calculations.

The new blood should be allowed to assess and resolve issues related to roads, drainage, agriculture, healthcare, drinking water, and other infrastructure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

[email protected]

A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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