Meet debutante politician Dr. Kalvakuntla Sanjay who is taking on BJP heavyweight Arvind Dharmapuri
Dr. Sanjay believes that his contributions to the medical field will bolster his campaign in the upcoming elections
By Sri Lakshmi Muttevi Published on 7 Nov 2023 6:30 AM GMT
Korutla: Dr. Kalvakuntla Sanjay is entering the electoral arena to contest against BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri and Congress candidate Juvvada Narasinga Rao. He is banking on the political legacy of his father Kalvakuntla Vidhya Sagar, a four-time MLA.
Nizam Sugar Factory (presently called Nizam Deccan Sugars Limited), which has been closed down, remains a crucial concern for numerous farmers and workers who have suffered economic hardship. The opposition claims that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had assured of reopening the Nizam Sugar Factory. However, nothing was done in the last nine years.
Dr. Sanjay believes that his contributions to the medical field will bolster his campaign in the upcoming elections.
In an interview during his campaign in Metpally, Dr. Sanjay shared his strategy for his first electoral run. This interview is part of NewsMeter's election coverage.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Your father has been a prominent leader and has served as the sitting MLA. When a son seeks to succeed his father in representing a constituency, there is often a challenge of incumbency. Why should voters choose the second generation?
A. If you analyze the situation, my father has been an MLA for the past 15 years, while I have been working in Hyderabad for the last 20 years. I was never inclined towards politics. However, I have been conducting health camps in Korutla for the past 20 years, even before my father became an MLA. I have actively contributed to the constituency by establishing three schools. Therefore, there are no issues of incumbency.
Q. Are you confident of increasing your vote share?
A. Thanks to the initiatives of Chief Minister KCR, all government schemes have been effectively implemented here, along with the efforts of MLA Vidya Sagar. I am very confident that our vote share will grow.
Q. How do you plan to compete with your opponent Arvind Dharmapuri? What is your strategy?
A. Frankly, I have no specific strategy against him because Arvind Dharmapuri is all talk and no action. I am the only local candidate contesting from Korutla. Despite being in power at the center, people in the constituency can attest to his lack of substantial accomplishments. Moving forward, I will not engage in negative tactics. Instead, I will focus on promoting good governance, effective government, and public welfare.
Q. Are you making any efforts to reopen the Nizam Sugar Factory?
A. In 2014, CM KCR, along with Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and local MLA Vidhya Sagar Rao, explored options in Maharashtra regarding corporate societies for sugar production. The sugarcane yield in Maharashtra was 80 tonnes per acre, while it was 40 tonnes per acre in Telangana. KCR encouraged farmers to run the factory as a cooperative society for better development, but the farmers hesitated. Furthermore, private entities operating in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model were not fulfilling their obligations. Despite the public outcry about the sugar factory, it was BJP leader Gokaraju Gangaraju who oversaw its closure.
Q. Why didn't the opposition offer support?
A. When the Cabinet sub-committee requested Congress, which was in power at the time, to take over the factory, it did not materialize. KCR even invited opposition leader Jeevan Reddy from the Jagitial constituency to lead the farmers, with a promise of funding, but they did not come forward.
Q. What do you anticipate the margin of victory will be this time?
A. My father's margins of victory in previous elections were 16,000, 21,000, and 32,000 votes, respectively. Our vote share has consistently expanded. The opposition candidates are merely testing the waters. I have created job opportunities by establishing an IT center and providing education and training to students, all while offering free education. What, I wonder, has the opposition accomplished? Their reliance on anti-incumbency votes and vote-splitting among themselves seems to be their only strategy.
I conduct medical camps and free surgeries. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was the one who stayed here and took care of the people, making sure they were given medicines and oxygen cylinders.
