Know Your MLA: Language no barrier for victory

Asifabad: Asifabad MLA Kova Laxmi has proved that language isn’t a barrier when it comes to understanding people’s concerns. She speaks only little Telugu, doesn’t know Hindi and English but emerged as a top leader according to a recent BRS party survey.

Born to a family of politicians, Kova Laxmi’s father late Kotnak Bheem Rao was the minister of Tribal Affairs under PV Narsimha Rao cabinet and worked as a minister under Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy cabinet.

Her father Late Kotnak Bheem Rao was the first graduate from the Gond community in Asifabad and a senior Congress leader who worked as a minister twice during the Congress rule.

Laxmi started political journey with Telugu Desam Party. In 1955, she was independently elected as MPTC and was the MPP. She also served as a sarpanch for two terms in Bamara village of Wankidi mandal.

Later, she joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. From 2014 to 2018, she worked as MLA of Asifabad constituency. In 2019, she was elected as Zilla Parishad chairperson of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

In 2018 assembly general elections, she contested for the post of MLA of Asifabad but was defeated with a minor margin of 172 votes to Athram Sakku, the INC candidate. In the recent elections, she won against Congress candidate Ajmeera Shyam Naik by a margin of 22,798 votes.