Tirupati: Giving state-wide importance to the Srikalahasti Devasthanam, the NDA government in the state appointed members to the temple’s new trust board from various constituencies across the state and even from Telangana, on the lines of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) model. Nearly two weeks after announcing Jana Sena leader Kotte Sai Prasad as the chairman, the government has now finalised the list of members for the prestigious board.

Until now, the Srikalahasti Devasthanam Trust Board used to consist mainly of members belonging to the Srikalahasti constituency. However, in view of the temple’s growing prominence in recent years, the government decided to accord it greater importance and expand its administrative scope.

The temple, known worldwide for its famous Rahu Kethu Pujas, attracts thousands of devotees from across India and abroad every year. The government, recognising its potential as a major spiritual and cultural hub, aims to develop the temple further on all fronts.

Accordingly, breaking from tradition, the government chose not to restrict the trust board to local representatives alone. The new trust board comprises 18 members in total, including the chairman and one special invitee. Among them, three members belong to the Jana Sena Party, 12 to the TDP, and one to BJP.

The members appointed to the board include Bila Sravanthi (Yelamanchili, TDP), Chinnapola Lakshminarayana (Puttaparthi, TDP), D Lakshmamma (Srikalahasti, TDP), G Gopinath (Srikalahasti, TDP), K Kusuma Kumari (Ongole, TDP), Kommanaboyina Rajani (Chirala, TDP), Nagaraju Kopperla (Chintalapudi – SC, TDP), Penagaluru Hemavathi (Kadapa, TDP), Kommari Vijayamma (Nellore City, TDP), Rudrakshula Kousalyamma (Venkatagiri, TDP), Dandi Raghavaiah (Srikalahasti, Jana Sena), Pagadala Murali (Tirupati, Jana Sena), V Gurrappashetti (Srikalahasti, TDP), Kola Vaishali (Srikalahasti, BJP), Prakash Reddy (Telangana), and Kalle Savitri (Rajampet, TDP). Chaganam Sailaja of Srikalahasti will serve as the special invitee to the board.

It may be recalled that the Devasthanam had been functioning without a trust board since March 2024. Over the past several months, there was intense lobbying for the position of chairman among the NDA allies-the TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP. Ultimately, the government decided to allocate the post to a Jana Sena representative, a move that left several TDP leaders disappointed.

Despite their efforts to secure membership positions, the government further surprised many by appointing several members from outside the Srikalahasti region, signalling a strategic move to give the temple wider state-level representation and importance.