Know Your MLA: A stoic, seasoned leader

Rangareddy: Known as a seasoned politician, BRS MLA from Maheshwaram, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, has been elected for the fifth straight time in the general elections held in December 2023.

Her journey came all the way from a household lady to an iron-clad political figure famously known as ‘Amma’ by all. She affectionately maintained a vice-like grip over the constituency, to say the least. After scoring a win twice in 2000 and 2004 from Chevella, Sabitha continued her winning streak in 2009, 2018, and 2023 from Maheshwaram, including a recent one despite her own party, BRS, losing power in the State. Being considered having a stoic personality, a demeanour even endorsed by people in her constituency, Sabitha is famous for knitting together leaders and contractors from every community to take up infrastructure work in several areas.

Before serving as a Home Minister and Minister of Education in the KCR cabinet, she had a record of representing the YSR cabinet as Home Minister as well as Minister for Mines and Geology from 2004 to 2009 in the united AP.

Despite her victory in the recent Assembly elections, the public discord against her in Maheshwaram has witnessed a significant rise in recent years. The constituency covers two corporations—Badangpet and Meerpet—besides two municipalities, Jalpally and Tukkuguda.

Unlike in the past, people's discord has grown against Sabitha this time as they were upset, saying political show-off takes prominence over development in the constituency. Development works, people say, were confined only to unveiling inauguration boards at various places in Maheshwaram. There is an element of plausibility in public resentment as the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), aimed at building an underground nala from Pedda Cheruvu to Gurram Cheruvu, costing Rs 1.9 crore to overcome inundation issues during the rainy season, has been pending for a long time.

Besides, people say, the constituency utterly failed to provide sufficient education infrastructure, like new schools and colleges during Sabitha’s term as Education Minister.The recent speculation regarding her possible jump into Congress, a party from which she began her political career, brings Sabitha again into the spotlight. However, she declined any such move, saying that she would remain with the BRS whatever came her way.