Huzurabad by-poll: Eatala Rajender richest candidate in fray; Congress' Balmoor Venkat facing 24 cases
With TRS turncoat Eatala Rajender filing his nomination papers, the Huzurabad by-poll is now in full gear. With the end of the filing of nominations, the election battle between TRS, Congress, and BJP has intensified.
By Coreena Suares Published on 8 Oct 2021 2:30 PM GMT
Hyderabad: With TRS turncoat Eatala Rajender filing his nomination papers, the Huzurabad by-poll is now in full gear. With the end of the filing of nominations, the election battle between TRS, Congress, and BJP has intensified.
The BJP candidate, Mr. Rajender, submitted his papers on Thursday in the presence of Union minister for culture and tourism G. Kishen Reddy and Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay.
The Election Commission of India has announced 30 October as the polling day. The results will be announced on 2 November.
The 57-year-old Mr. Rajender had a falling out with his close friend and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao a few months ago after nearly two decades together. The two-time minister in the KCR Cabinet resigned as the Huzurabad MLA over allegations of corruption resulting in the seat falling vacant.
With Eatala unceremoniously walking out of the ruling party, the BJP roped him in. Against the former minister, the TRS has fielded TRSV president Gellu Srinivas (38) while Venkata Narsinga Rao Balmoor is the Congress candidate.
NewsMeter has accessed the affidavits of the three candidates and discovered that the former health minister, Mr. Rajender, is the richest among them.
A look into their assets revealed that Mr. Rajender's income for the financial year 2019-2020 was Rs. 30.16 lakhs. However, his wife Jamuna's income was higher at Rs. 1.33 crore. His movable assets are worth Rs. 6.20 lakh while his wife owns assets worth Rs. 28.68 crore. Meanwhile, he has immovable assets worth Rs. 12.50 crore and his wife worth Rs. 14.78 crore. The couple together is worth Rs. 60 crore.
The affidavit revealed that Eatala is facing 19 criminal cases and has been convicted in two. While he has not been in judicial custody, he has paid a fine.
Interestingly, his wife Jamuna also filed nomination papers sans the B-form on 4 October. The word going around is that she will contest the by-elections if her husband who is currently facing cases of land encroachment and corruption is arrested just before the elections.
Given the high possibility of Mr. Rajender facing an arrest during the campaigning, Jamuna, in her affidavit, has mentioned that she is the candidate "set up" by the BJP.
Gellu Srinivas Yadav:
The TRS party's candidate owns wealth worth Rs. 22.82 lakh. He holds a degree in MA political science from Osmania University and identifies himself as a businessman.
"Gella Srinivas Yadav, who was the president of the TRSV department at Osmania University, was arrested and jailed several times during the movement. Recognizing Gellu Srinivas' disciplined personality, sense of service, and commitment, CM KCR finalized his candidature," the party said.
Venkat Narsing Rao Balmoor:
The young student leader represents the student wing of the Indian National Congress. He is facing 24 criminal cases and owns wealth worth Rs. 59. 51 lakhs.
